TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - NASA's X-59 jet has surpassed the speed of sound in its latest test flight. NASA developed the supersonic jet in collaboration with Lockheed Martin, which is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland.
In its first test flight on June 5, the aircraft reached a speed of Mach 1.1, or approximately 1,147 kilometers per hour, at an altitude of 13,200 meters. A week later, on June 12, the X-59 jet achieved an even more impressive performance, reaching Mach 1.4 at an altitude of 16,700 meters.
However, for NASA, this achievement is far from perfect. They want a supersonic jet that is not only fast but also quiet. "Further testing planned for later this year will better demonstrate the experimental aircraft’s progress on the noise-reduction front," Live Science reported, as quoted on Wednesday, June 17, 2026.
The reason the aircraft can't reduce noise is that air molecules are pushed during flight. When traveling at high speeds, the air hitting the aircraft's body creates sound waves.
So, even though the plane is traveling faster than the speed of sound, the roar of the engines and the buffeting of the wind will still be audible. Experts define this phenomenon as a sonic boom, a thunderous sound caused by the buildup of waves released during the aircraft's acceleration.
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