NASA's X-59 Takes Flight, Opening Path to Overland Supersonic Routes

NASA's X-59 completed its first flight on October 28, validating the jet's design and aerodynamics. The flight advances the Quesst mission, which aims to gather public response data needed for the FAA and ICAO to reconsider rules banning overland supersonic flight since the 1970s. A regulatory change would directly benefit commercial programs like Boom Supersonic and Spike Aerospace, currently limited to transoceanic routes.