NASA fires up X-59 engine for first time
NASA has moved one step closer to the inaugural flight of its X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft, having commenced the first phase of a series of engine run tests.
Conducted at Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works facility in Palmdale, California, the initial phase of testing will verify the aircraft’s systems are working in unison while powered by its own engine (unlike previous tests, which used external sources for power).
“The first phase of the engine tests was really a warmup to make sure that everything looked good prior to running the engine,” explained Jay Brandon, NASA’s X-59 chief engineer. “Then we moved to the actual first engine start. That took the engine out of the preservation mode that it had been in since installation. It was the first check to see that it was operating properly and that all the systems it impacted – hydraulics, electrical system, environmental control systems, etc – seemed to be working”.
The X-59’s engine – a modified F414-GE-100 – will provide 22,000 pounds of thrust to propel the aircraft to a cruising speed of Mach 1.4. Located in an unconventional position atop the aircraft, it will prove instrumental in helping achieve the X-59’s mission of making supersonic flight quieter – creating a ‘thump’ rather than a loud sonic boom.
Subsequent ground tests will see the team run the aircraft at high power with rapid throttle changes, simulating the conditions of an actual flight, before a first flight date is announced.
