NASA's 'Son of Concorde' X-59 quiet supersonic jet completes two test flights in a single day for the first time ever
Published on May 14, 2026 at 3:52 AM (UTC+4)
by Ben Thompson
Last updated on May 14, 2026 at 3:52 AM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Mason Jones
It’s a big moment for NASA’S ‘Son of Concorde’ project, as the X-59 supersonic jet has now completed two test flights in a single day.
This marks significant progress for the project, with it now up to 11 flights overall.
With this plane being so highly anticipated, it’s no wonder that NASA has upped the ante with the Quesst mission.
But this begs the question – how much longer is left before this plane is ready for action?
NASA’s ‘Son of Concorde’ project is on the way – and its testing is ramping up a notch
This X-59 aircraft has been on the agenda for quite some time now.
As the moniker suggests, this jet is intended to follow in the footsteps of Concorde, that beloved supersonic jet which was retired back in 2003.
In the years since, there’s been a longing for that amount of speed in the air.
And NASA evidently want to be the ones who revive it.
Its progress has been reported on keenly over the years, from its test inside wind tunnels to the ever-important test flights.
Now there’s a new milestone – the X-59 jet has completed two test flights in one day.
This marked significant progress towards the later phases of the mission.
According to NASA’mass blog, the first of these dual-flight days occurred on April 30 at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California.
Flying of altitudes between 12,000 and 43,000 feet and at speeds ranging from 528 to 627mph, it ‘completed multiple test objectives’.
“The team has done an amazing job meeting the weekly planned flight rate,” Cathy Bahm, Low Boom Flight Demonstrator project manager, said.
“During taxi testing last summer, we demonstrated that we could do two tests in a day. I’m proud to see that our team has met the challenge of executing two flights a day, and I’m very excited to see it happen regularly.”
What is the significance of two test flights a day?
Dual-flight days allow for a brief period between the flights in which a refuel is carried out.
But besides sounding good, what is the benefit of two test flights in one day?
According to NASA, it allows for teams to collect a greater quantity of data in a shorter span of time.
This contributes towards the mission goals of meeting major test objectives.
It ensures efficiency as well as safety.
The goal is to complete the first two phases of the ‘Son of Concorde’ mission – envelope expansion and acoustic validation – by the end of 2026.
If this recent development is anything to go by, it looks like NASA is well on its way.
Following stints at LadBible, The Sun, The New York Post, and the Daily Mail, Ben joined the team full-time in February 2025. In his role as Senior Content Writer, his sparkling copy, the ability to sniff out a good story at 100 paces, and a GSOH quickly led to him becoming an integral and invaluable member of the writing staff.
