Safety systems at the core of NASA's future supersonic flights in X-59
WASHINGTON - As NASA’s one-of-a-kind X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft approaches first flight, its team is mapping every step from taxi and takeoff to cruising and landing – and their decision-making is guided by safety.
First flight will be a lower-altitude loop at about 240 mph to check system integration, kicking off a phase of flight testing focused on verifying the aircraft’s airworthiness and safety. During subsequent test flights, the X-59 will go higher and faster, eventually exceeding the speed of sound. The aircraft is designed to fly supersonic while generating a quiet thump rather than a loud sonic boom, Nicolas Cholula writes for NASA. Continue reading original article.
The Military & Aerospace Electronics take:
17 September 2025 - NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft is designed to demonstrate flight faster than sound while reducing the disruptive sonic boom to a soft "thump." The first low-altitude flight at about 240 mph will verify system integration, airworthiness, and safety before the aircraft advances to higher altitudes and supersonic speeds.
At the core of the program is the Flight Test Instrumentation System, which gathers about 60 data streams and more than 20,000 parameters, including audio, video, avionics, and sensor inputs. More than 200 days of ground testing have validated its ability to monitor the X-59’s health in real time. The aircraft also relies on a digital fly-by-wire system that translates pilot stick and throttle inputs into electronic signals transmitted over fiber optics to control surfaces. Redundant computers and backup channels maintain control authority if a component fails.
Redundant electrical and hydraulic systems, along with battery backups, add further resilience. Thermal batteries are capable of powering the hydraulic system’s electric pump, and an emergency hydrazine-based engine restart system provides an additional safeguard against power loss.
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Jamie Whitney, Senior Editor
Military + Aerospace Electronics
