NASA Test Pilot Mike Lippert Conducts First Flight of X-59 Quiet Supersonic Research Aircraft

NASA test pilot Mike Lippert conducted his first flight of the X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft on October 21, 2026, departing from NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, and completing the flight one hour later.

Assembled News DeskOctober 26, 20261 min read

AI illustration based on reference photographs; not an event photograph. Editorial illustration of the X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft on an airfield under a partly cloudy sky. — AI-generated illustration

According to NASA News Releases, NASA test pilot Mike Lippert was scheduled to fly the agency's X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft for the first time on October 21, 2026. The X-59 has completed numerous flights since its initial flight in November 2025, with its first supersonic flight occurring on June 5, 2026.

On October 21, 2026, Lippert departed from NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, and landed one hour after taking off. This flight followed scheduled maintenance and a review of the X-59’s systems, which took place after the aircraft experienced its busiest week of testing to date.

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