NASA and Lockheed Martin on Friday unveiled the silent X-59 supersonic jet, which the U.S. agency said would be capable of reaching 925 miles per hour (1.4 times the speed of sound at an altitude of 55,000 feet).
It is a first-of-its-kind experimental aircraft that NASA will use to collect data. It is designed to encourage the possibility that commercial supersonic flights could be enabled in the future.
Taking into account its possible top speed, we venture to predict how long some trips from Argentina to 6 parts of the world would take approximately if the X-59 were ever used.
The X-59 was introduced in California. Photo: Bloomberg
How long would supersonic flights from Argentina take?
- Buenos Aires to Miami: 4 hours and 45 minutes approximately.
- Buenos Aires to Tokyo: 12 hours approximately.
- Buenos Aires to Rio de Janeiro: 1 hour and 45 minutes approximately.
- Buenos Aires to Cancun: 4 and a half hours approximately.
- Buenos Aires to Madrid: 6 hours and 45 minutes approximately.
- Buenos Aires to Sydney: 8 hours approximately.
The impact of the X-59's sound will be key to future supersonic flights
"This is a major achievement that was only possible thanks to the hard work and ingenuity of NASA and the entire X-59 team," NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy said at the aircraft's unveiling in Palmdale, California.
He added: "In just a few short years we have gone from an ambitious concept to a reality. NASA's X-59 will help change the way we travel, getting us up close in much less time."
NASA will use the X-59 on the Quesst mission to provide data to help regulators reconsider rules banning commercial supersonic flight over land.
They are prohibited due to the disturbances caused by sonic booms in communities and, in this sense, the X-59 was designed to reduce the impact.
"By demonstrating the possibility of quiet supersonic commercial overland travel, we seek to open up new commercial markets for U.S. businesses and benefit travelers around the world," said Bob Pearce, associate administrator for aeronautical research at NASA Headquarters in Washington.
The aircraft will be used to collect data with the aim of making commercial supersonic flights possible in the future. Photo: EFE
After the hypothetical test takeoff of the aircraft at the end of the year, Quesst's team will prepare the first flight with integrated systems, engine operation and taxiing tests.
NASA's idea is for the X-59 to fly over several cities in the United States to know, among other things, how people perceive sound. That data will then be provided to the Federal Aviation Administration and international regulators.