News Summary

• The aircraft is set to take off for the first time later this year.In keeping with its goal of enabling commercial supersonic travel, American space agency NASA unveiled a new quiet supersonic aircraft on Friday..
• pic.twitter.com/7MZQZoyVjGThe aircraft's thin, tapered nose, which makes up about a third of its total length, is intended to deflect shock waves that would normally surround supersonic planes and cause sonic booms..
• The aircraft is set to take off for the first time later this year, followed by its first quiet supersonic flight..
• Engineers eliminated the forward-facing windows that are normally present in other aircraft and placed the cockpit nearly halfway down the length of the aircraft in an effort to improve its supersonic performance..
• The engine is mounted on top and scientists "gave it a smooth underside to help keep shockwaves from merging behind the aircraft and causing a sonic boom..
• "NASA's Quesst mission, which aims to provide information to assist regulators in re-evaluating regulations that forbid commercial supersonic flying over land, is centred around the X-59..