en.Wedoany.com Report on Mar 21st, The X-59 quiet supersonic commercial airliner prototype, developed in collaboration between NASA and Lockheed Martin, returned early to Edwards Air Force Base in California during its second test flight on Friday.

NASA revealed on social media that the experimental aircraft took off from Edwards at 1:54 PM Eastern Time but landed without reaching its planned targets of 260 miles per hour and an altitude of 20,000 feet due to a call to return. Pilot Jim "Clue" Less and the aircraft landed safely, with more details to be announced.

The X-59 made its first flight last October, taking off from Lockheed's Skunk Works facility in Palmdale and landing at NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center after approximately 67 minutes. On March 12, engineers fired up the modified F-18 Super Hornet engine in preparation for takeoff. On Friday, the aircraft taxied from Armstrong to Edwards, where it was piloted by Less for takeoff.

Before the flight, Less stated, "This will be my first time piloting an X-series aircraft. I think I'll mainly focus on completing the test cards and doing them correctly. Afterwards, I might slowly realize I'm in the X-59." NASA plans to gradually increase the X-59's speed and altitude in the coming months, aiming to reach approximately 55,000 feet and Mach 1.4 to validate safety and performance.

The X-59 is designed to reduce sonic booms to a sound similar to a distant car door closing, aiding in the establishment of new rules for overland supersonic flight. Since 1973, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has prohibited commercial operations above Mach 1 over land, but the White House ordered the lifting of these restrictions last year. NASA will coordinate with the FAA and the International Civil Aviation Organization to promote the development of standards.