Skunk Works® Unveils The X-59, First Look At The Future of Commercial Supersonic Flight

What: Don’t miss this rare opportunity to watch the NASA X-59 be unveiled at Lockheed Martin’s legendary Skunk Works® in Palmdale, Calif.
Who: Lockheed Martin and NASA executives, X-59 subject matter experts, California and Federal Government officials
When: 1 p.m. Pacific Time, Friday, Jan. 12, 2024
Where: The ceremony will stream live on the NASA+ streaming service. Coverage also will air on NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube and on the agency’s website. Learn how to stream NASA TV through a variety of platforms, including social media.

Background: The NASA X-59, designed and built by Lockheed Martin at its famed Skunk Works facility, is specifically shaped to quiet the perceived sound of a sonic boom that reaches the ground to that of a gentle thump, similar to a car door shutting in the distance.

The X-59 is the centerpiece of NASA’s Quesst mission with the goal of collecting community response data from flights over representative communities across the United States. This data will be used by NASA to recommend an acceptable commercial supersonic noise standard to regulators to possibly repeal the current ban on supersonic flight over land and thereby change the future of commercial aviation, reducing flight times by half of what they are currently. For additional information, visit our X-59 webpage and NASA Quesst webpage

Ceremony Details: Rollout is an aeronautical tradition where new aircraft are unveiled to the world. The X-59 rollout ceremony will feature remarks from Lockheed Martin and NASA leadership, before the aircraft is unveiled to the public. Photos and video of the ceremony will be made available to the media for download shortly after the ceremony concludes.

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About Lockheed Martin
Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin Corporation is a global security and aerospace company that employs approximately 116,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services.

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