NASA TEST FLIGHT SEEKS TO HELP BRING COMMERCIAL SUPERSONIC TRAVEL BACK

Summary from the TLDR newsletter

NASA's newest experimental supersonic jet, the X-59 Quesst (Quiet SuperSonic Technology), made its first flight last Tuesday. The inaugural flight validated the jet's airworthiness and safety. The X-59 generates a lower 'sonic thump' compared to other supersonic jet designs thanks to its long, slender nose, which breaks up pressure waves that would otherwise merge on parts of the airplane. Its design limits shock waves and directs sound waves up to the sky rather than down toward the ground. The single-seat, single-engine jet can cruise at Mach 1.4 at an altitude of 55,000 feet, nearly twice as high and twice as fast as commercial airliners typically fly.