NASA’s experimental X-59 QueSST, also known as the “flying swordfish,” has officially made its first test flight, marking a major milestone in the future of quiet supersonic travel. Developed in partnership with Lockheed Martin, the sleek, needle-nosed aircraft lifted off from Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, California, on October 28, 2025, and safely landed at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center.

While the maiden flight was subsonic, reaching speeds of around 230 miles per hour at 12,000 feet, it successfully demonstrated the aircraft’s fundamental systems and stability. Future test flights will push the X-59 to supersonic speeds, where NASA will evaluate its ability to drastically reduce the loud “sonic boom” to a soft “sonic thump.” The ultimate goal of the Quesst program is to pave the way for regulations that could one day allow commercial supersonic flights over land, revolutionizing air travel as we know it.

(Sources: Live Science, NASA, Lockheed Martin)

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Last Updated on November 9, 2025 by Daily News Staff

Image Credit: Archer Aviation

From Olympic Dreams to Take-Off Plans

Back in our feature “Flying Taxis and Olympic Dreams: Will LA28 Be the Jetsons Era in Real Life?” we explored whether Los Angeles could become the first city to showcase flying taxis on the global stage during the 2028 Summer Olympics.

Now, that futuristic vision has gained some serious thrust. Archer Aviation — one of the leading players in electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft — has announced a major move that could change how the city thinks about air mobility.

Archer Takes Control of Hawthorne Airport

In a landmark deal, Archer announced plans to acquire control of Hawthorne Airport — just three miles from LAX — for approximately $126 million in cash.

The 80-acre site, home to 190,000 square feet of hangars and terminal facilities, will become the company’s operational hub for its Los Angeles air-taxi network and a testbed for AI-driven aviation technology.

Alongside the purchase, Archer raised an additional $650 million in new equity funding, bringing its liquidity to more than $2 billion — a strong signal that the company is serious about turning concept into concrete.

What This Means for LA’s Mobility Future

This isn’t just a real estate move. It’s a strategic infrastructure play.

If Los Angeles is to handle Olympic crowds and long-term congestion, new vertical mobility hubs are essential. Hawthorne could serve as the first of several vertiports forming a network across the metro area.

It also puts Archer in a prime position to work alongside city planners and mobility partners preparing for the LA28 Games — potentially transforming how visitors move between venues, airports, and downtown.

Caution: Not Quite “Jetsons” Yet

While this progress looks promising, it’s not smooth skies ahead just yet.

FAA certification remains the biggest hurdle; only about 15% of compliance documentation has been approved. Production and scaling still pose risks — building and maintaining a fleet of electric aircraft at commercial levels isn’t cheap. Public acceptance will matter too. Even the quietest aircraft need to earn the city’s trust for noise, cost, and safety.

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Still, compared to even a year ago, the vision of air taxis over Los Angeles feels far less like science fiction.

A Step Toward the Olympic Future

Archer’s move aligns perfectly with the question we raised earlier:

Can Los Angeles turn the 2028 Olympics into a showcase for sustainable, futuristic transportation?

By securing its own hub near LAX and backing it with fresh capital, Archer seems determined to make that answer a yes. Whether passengers will be hailing flying taxis in time for LA28 remains uncertain, but the groundwork — both financial and physical — is clearly being laid.

The skies over LA might just get busier — and cleaner — in the years to come.

Related Reading

• Flying Taxis and Olympic Dreams: Will LA28 Be the Jetsons Era in Real Life?
• Archer To Acquire Los Angeles Airport As Strategic Air Taxi Network
• HubTokyo Selects Archer’s Midnight Aircraft for First eVTOL Implementation Program

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Last Updated on October 18, 2025 by Daily News Staff

The dream of passenger supersonic flight is getting closer to reality. Boom Supersonic has scored several key technical, regulatory, and business milestones in 2025. But as with any ambitious aerospace project, challenges loom. Here’s where things stand now—and what to watch going forward.

📰 Headlines You Should Know

• In January 2025, Boom’s demonstrator aircraft XB-1 successfully broke the sound barrier (Mach ~1.1) during a test flight over the Mojave Desert. 

• In February, Boom officially announced “Boomless Cruise”, meaning that Overture is being designed to fly up to Mach 1.3 over land without producing an audible sonic boom at ground level. 

• On June 6, 2025, a presidential executive order effectively repealed the long-standing U.S. ban on supersonic flight over land, instructing the FAA to adopt updated noise limits rather than blanket prohibitions. 

• Boom has selected the Colorado Air & Space Port (near Aurora, CO) for its Symphony engine test facility. 

• In July 2025, Boom awarded a patent to its Aircraft Systems Director (Jim Senerth) for a “parallel power source system” to support large electrical power needs on future aircraft. 

• Boom remains active in recruiting: it made a visible push at the 2025 AIAA Aviation Forum, highlighting engineering roles in its supersonic program. 

🛠 Technical & Program Status

XB-1 Goes Mach 1

XB-1 Demonstrator: Mission Accomplished

The XB-1 test program is effectively complete. It proved that Boom’s design and sonic-boom models (especially for boomless cruise) are viable in real flight conditions. 

The fact that XB-1’s supersonic runs did not generate audible sonic booms that reached the ground is a key enabler for overland routes. 

Overture: Design & Business Assumptions

• Overture is planned to cruise at Mach 1.7, carrying 60–80 passengers over a range of ~4,250 nautical miles. 

• Boom claims compatibility with 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), aiming to pair speed with lower lifecycle emissions (relative to legacy approaches). 

• The order book (including firm orders and pre-orders) sits around 130 aircraft among United, American, Japan Airlines (and possibly others). 

• The Overture Superfactory in Greensboro, NC, is built and intended to scale up to producing 66 Overture jets per year.

Symphony Engine Development

• The Symphony turbofan is central to Boom’s claims: it must enable sustained supersonic cruise and boomless operation.

• The engine is in development, with additive manufacturing (3D printing) being used to produce critical core parts (compressor, combustor, turbine). 

• Boom expects to begin producing “thrusting cores” in full-scale testing by the end of 2025. 

🏛 Regulation & Market Landscape

• The June 2025 executive order removing the overland supersonic ban is a potential game-changer. It opens up many more route possibilities within the U.S. and globally, assuming stringent noise limits can be met. 

• Regulatory and certification risk remains significant. Even with favorable policy, Overture must satisfy FAA, EASA, and other jurisdictions’ airworthiness and noise standards. (Forecasts of program outlook caution that these remain major hurdles.) 

• Competitors are emerging internationally—China’s Comac C949 is being developed as a supersonic airliner (though it is in early stages). 

✔ What’s Next: Key Milestones to Watch

1. Symphony engine thrust core tests (late 2025) — critical engineering moment

2. Final design freeze for Overture — when the aircraft’s shape, systems, and structure are locked

3. First Overture flight (planned ~2027)

4. Certification (FAA / EASA) and commercial launch (projected ~2029)

5. Route announcements and airline deployment plans

6. Market response and economics — will the speed premium be enough to support ticket pricing, fuel burn, maintenance, etc.

⚖️ Strengths & Risks

Strengths / Tailwinds

• Real demonstration with XB-1 giving credibility to the concept

• Favorable U.S. regulatory shift enabling overland supersonic

• Strong airline interest (United, American, JAL)

• Focus on sustainability via SAF and modern materials/engineering

• Factory and supply chain investments already underway

Risks / Headwinds

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• Certification is notoriously difficult, especially for novel supersonic aircraft

• Engine performance, thermal loads, and materials remain major engineering challenges

• Noise limits and regulatory standards across multiple countries may differ

• The business model must balance speed premium vs cost, fuel, maintenance

• Timeline risk is high — delays, cost overruns, or technical setbacks are common in aerospace

As Boom finalizes its Superfactory in North Carolina and ramps up testing of its proprietary Symphony engines, the future of faster-than-sound flight is once again within reach.

Read more about this aviation breakthrough on STM Daily News.

Related Links:

• Boom Supersonic – Official Website

• Boom Supersonic Announces Boomless Cruise (Press Release)

• Reuters – Boom Supersonic XB-1 Breaks Sound Barrier Over Mojave Desert

• The Guardian – Supersonic Prototype Jet Breaks Sound Barrier on US Test Flight

• AP News – First Independently Developed Jet Breaks the Sound Barrier

• FlightGlobal – Supersonic Overture Beckons as Boom Concludes XB-1 Test Programme

• WSJ – New York to Paris in Under Four Hours? Inside the Effort to Build the Next Concorde