NASA Begins To Build Supersonic Passenger Planes

The thought that people will get to travel faster than the speed of sound might be a pipe dream after all. NASA will begin building the Quiet Supersonic Technology (QueSST), the first in its series of X-planes by the organization's New Aviation Horizons initiative as revealed in its Fiscal Year 2017 budget.

In partnership with Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company of Palmdale, the team will create a preliminary design and a series of feasibility studies to know the various sound levels across the country. Associate Administrator for NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Jaiwon Shin said in a press release: "Developing, building, and flight testing a quiet supersonic X-plane is the next logical step in our path to enabling the industry's decision to open supersonic travel for the flying public."

The Lockheed Martin organization will be granted $20 million to work with the preliminary design within the span of 17 months. The work includes the baseline aircraft requirements, design, and specifications while providing support documentation. The said output will be used to make a more detailed aircraft design, and for the building and testing of the QueSST X-plane.

Meanwhile, the next eight weeks will have engineers test the plane in different wind speeds to know how the aerodynamics and propulsion system works in such environment. Aerospace Engineer Ray Castner told The Lonely Planet that they'd be measuring the lift, drag and side forces on the model at different angles.

Supersonic flights aren't new in the aviation world, but the team would want to achieve in making a quick flight noiselessly. If successful, the public will see the aircraft to fly and be utilized by 2020.

NASA's New Aviation Horizons is the organization's list of plans in "reducing fuel use, emissions and noise through innovations in aircraft design that departs from the conventional tube-and-wing aircraft shape." Also according to the initiative, NASA will conduct a major 10-year research effort to accelerate the aviation industry with energy efficiency, propulsion systems, and improvements in air traffic activities.