Towards a new wave of freshness in commercial flights? In any case, this is what the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa) is hoping for with its latest addition: the X-59. Presented this Friday in collaboration with Lockheed Martin, this supersonic plane with its funny elongated nose is supposed to exceed the sound barrier without creating a supersonic detonation.
The machine is in fact designed to reach a speed of 1,500 km/h, at an altitude of 17,000 meters, all without exceeding 75 decibels. If the test phases are conclusive, it could well shake up the lines of commercial aviation which currently prohibits supersonic flights due to the noise disturbances generated.
At 30 meters long and 9 wide, the size of the X-59 stands out. The cockpit without a front window located two thirds of the way up the craft and the 12 meter tapered nose have something to do with it. It is precisely this prominent nose that would allow it to exceed Mach 1 (1,224 km/h) without causing a supersonic “bang”. “The plane also has a top-mounted engine and a smooth underside to prevent shock waves from forming behind the plane and causing supersonic booms,” specifies The Guardian. NASA is counting on a sound level not exceeding that of “a slamming car door”, report our colleagues from Les Échos.
The first flights of this three-year test phase will begin this year and will take place in the American West Desert. Then comes the time for flights over inhabited areas, in order to measure the noise level actually perceived by the inhabitants. In the United States, the ban on supersonic civilian flights dates from 1973.
