Smithsonian Magazine on MSN

In a first, NASA's experimental X-59 plane flew faster than the speed of sound, setting the stage for 'quiet' supersonic aircraft

On June 5, NASA’s experimental X-59 plane went supersonic for the first time. The aircraft zoomed through the sky at a top speed of about 713 miles per hour, or Mach 1.1, and an altitude of 43,400 ...
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At Mach 6.7 and 4,520 mph, the X-15 set the crewed aircraft speed record in 1967 — 59 years later, no one has flown faster

On October 3, 1967, U.S. Air Force pilot William "Pete" Knight flew the X-15A-2 to 4,520 miles per hour — Mach 6.7 — setting the speed record for a crewed powered aircraft that has stood for 59 years.
The Debrief

NASA Just Tested a Secretive Experimental Aircraft in a “Major Milestone” for Supersonic Flight

An experimental aircraft just achieved a “major milestone” that NASA officials say brings the future of quiet supersonic ...