NASA's supersonic X-59 aircraft passes milestone test for first flight

LOS ANGELES, May 17 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) supersonic X-59 aircraft has completed a milestone review that will allow it to progress toward first flight, NASA said on Friday.

A Flight Readiness Review board composed of independent experts from across NASA has completed a study of the X-59 project team's approach to safety for the public and staff during ground and flight testing.

The review board looked in detail at the project team's analysis of potential hazards, focusing on safety and risk identification.

Flight Readiness Review is the first step in the flight approval process, according to NASA.

NASA and prime contractor Lockheed Martin are developing the X-59 to reduce the sound of a sonic boom to a quieter "thump." The aircraft is at the center of NASA's Quesst mission, which will use it to gather data that could revolutionize air travel, potentially paving the way for a new generation of commercial aircraft that can travel faster than the speed of sound.