By Lori Aratani and Monica Rodman, The Washington PostNASA’s X-59, its quiet supersonic research aircraft, sits on the ramp at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works in Palmdale, Calif.
One key to quieting the boom comes from the plane’s design. The engine is mounted on top. The plane has a long, narrow nose and sculpted wing to help ensure the shock waves it creates as it speeds through the air are similar in strength and evenly spaced along the aircraft to create a gradual increase in pressure instead of the rapid jump that creates the loud bang, said Peter Coen, mission integration manager for the Quesst mission.
Industry analysts say venture capital and the mind-set that commercial supersonic sounds like a good idea has largely fueled the revival. And no matter the fuel, the reality is supersonic jets will always use more of it. According to a 2022 study by International Council on Clean Transportation, supersonic jets could use seven to nine times as much fuel as regular commercial aircraft while carrying fewer passengers. But NASA’s Coen contends that supersonic travel at least initially will be a very small part of overall CO2 emissions and a very small part of commercial aviation.