What is NASA's supersonic aircraft today and why could it change the way we fly?

Supersonic aircraft are aircraft that can travel faster than the speed of sound. Although it was incredibly fast, it also generated shock waves accompanied by a deafening noise similar to an explosion.

In 1973, the United States government banned commercial supersonic flights over the country because of the noise pollution they caused. But that may change if NASA's X-59 supersonic mission results are positive.

Today, NASA administrators and prime contractor, Lockheed Martin, will officially present to the world the fully completed X-59 supersonic aircraft.

It is a unique experimental aircraft that will demonstrate its ability to fly at supersonic speeds. It will cause a soft “thump” instead of the usual sonic boom.

It is part of NASA's mission called QueSST, which stands for Silent Supersonic Technology. The space agency developed it in cooperation with aircraft manufacturer Lockheed.

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