Commercial faster-than-sound travel over land doesn’t happen anymore—but in the U.S., it could soon, with the debut of a new experimental plane developed by NASA and Lockheed Martin. The X-59 aircraft is designed to test out sonic boom-less supersonic flight, producing only sonic ‘thumps’ as it speeds through the skies.
You can read all about the aircraft and NASA’s hopes for it here. But we know you want to see the plane, so scroll down for some early shots from last week’s unveiling.
The curtain drop
I’m pretty satisfied with my reflexes on the screenshot here, to capture the first look at the plane before the curtain had completely fallen to the floor. Just the plane and people in awe, living in the moment. The X-59 has been photographed before, but now has a new paint job: white with red and blue accents.
A needle-like design
The X-59 is very slender, to make it more aerodynamic. Its designed research speed is Mach 1.4, or an eye-popping 925 miles per hour.
Back of the X-59
The needle-like nose of the plane is distinctive, but the so is the back end. Its single engine actually sits on top of the plane, as seen here.
The plane’s midriff
Another unconventional aspect of the X-59: its cockpit does not have a front-facing windscreen, or windshield. Instead, the pilot has a set of screens to show what lies before the aircraft.
The cockpit
In this artist’s concept of the X-59’s cockpit in flight, you can see how a screen projects what is in the aircraft’s flight path.
A view from the front
This angle allows one to appreciate just how nosey the X-59 is. The fog on the ground appears for dramatic effect.
The plane outside!
Another nose-on view of the plane, shown in a short video at the end of the plane’s unveiling. You can expect to have many more views like this as the NASA works toward the aircraft’s first flight, slated for later this year.