NASA’s X-59 Aircraft and Test Pilot

NASA test pilot Mike Lippert poses for a photo ahead of his first time flying the agency’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft on Oct. 21, 2026. The X-59 has flown numerous times since its inaugural flight in November 2025; itsfirst supersonic flightwas on June 5, 2026. Lippert took off from NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, and landed one hour later. The flight came after scheduled maintenance and a review of the X-59’s systems following the aircraft’s busiest week of testing to date.