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NASA Invites Media to Learn About Upcoming X-59 Test FlightsTiernan P. Doyle
Mar 16, 2026 MEDIA ADVISORYM26-022NASA Headquarters
NASA will hold a media teleconference at 5:30 p.m. EDT on Thursday, March 19 to highlight plans for its X-59 quiet supersonic aircraft’s upcoming flight tests. The teleconference is set to take place after the X-59 is scheduled to complete its second flight, in California.
For the media call, NASA leadership will join representatives from the Quesst mission and contractor Lockheed Martin Skunk Works. The X-59’s test pilots will be available to answer questions about what it’s like to fly the aircraft and how they prepare for flights.
The news conference will stream on NASA’s YouTube channel. An instant replay will be available online. Learn how to watch NASA content on a variety of platforms, including social media.
Participants include:
- Amit Kshatriya, NASA associate administrator
- Cathy Bahm, project manager, Low Boom Flight Demonstrator, NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center, Edwards, California
- Peter Coen, Quesst mission integration manager, NASA’s Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia
- Jim “Clue” Less, X-59 test pilot, NASA Armstrong
- Nils Larson, X-59 test pilot, NASA Armstrong
- Pat LeBeau, Lockheed Martin X-59 project manager
To participate in the virtual call, members of the media must RSVP no later than two hours before the start of the event to: kristen.m.hatfield@nasa.gov. NASA’s media accreditation policy is available online.
For second flight, the X-59 will taxi from its hangar at NASA Armstrong, then take off and land at nearby Edwards Air Force Base. The aircraft will fly for roughly an hour, reaching a cruising speed of 230 mph at 12,000 feet before accelerating to 260 mph at 20,000 feet.
This flight will kick off a series of flights known as envelope expansion, during which NASA will gradually take the X-59 faster and higher to ensure the aircraft’s safety and assess its performance. This phase will be followed by flights assessing the X-59’s unique acoustic profile. The X-59 is the centerpiece of NASA’s Quesst mission and was developed to fly supersonic, or faster than the speed of sound, without generating loud sonic booms.
Through Quesst, NASA is working to make commercial supersonic flight over land possible, dramatically reducing travel time in the United States or anywhere in the world.
To learn more about X-59 visit:
https://www.nasa.gov/quesst-media-resources
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Rob Margetta
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-0918
robert.j.margetta@nasa.gov
Kristen Hatfield
NASA Langley, Virginia
757-817-5522
kristen.m.hatfield@nasa.gov