NASA’s ultraquiet supersonic 'flying swordfish' makes history with first test flight

The X-59 jet at Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works facility in Palmdale on Jan. 12, 2024.

NASA and Lockheed Martin’s experimental X-59 aircraft has taken to the skies for the first time, making history as the first supersonic aircraft designed to make a soft "thump" instead of thunderous sonic booms.

The X-59’s flight is a major step towards commercial supersonic travel, which has been banned in the United States since 1973.