Nasa’s ‘Son of Concorde’ hits 713mph and breaks the sound barrier for first time

The X-59 on its earlier first flight last year – when it did not break the sound barrier (Picture: Lockheed Martin/Cover Images)

Nasa’s experimental X-59 aircraft, dubbed ‘Son of Concorde’, has flown faster than the speed of sound for the first time.

The aircraft completed an 81-minute test flight on Friday, 5 June, reaching Mach 1.1 (around 713mph) at an altitude of 43,400ft, according to the space agency.

It said the X-59 performed as expected throughout the mission. For Nasa test pilot Jim ‘Clue’ Less, there was little sensation of travelling at supersonic speed.

‘You know you are supersonic when gauges say you are supersonic. I didn’t feel anything,’ Less said. ‘It went smoothly, and we easily got to Mach 1.1.’

The X-59 has been designed to travel at supersonic speeds while...