NASA 's x59

NASA's X-59, the new supersonic aircraft developed by NASA and Lockheed Martin, is one step closer to flight after undergoing extensive testing last week.

.NASA's X-59 is also nicknamed the Son of Concorde after the Concorde commercial airliner launched in the late 1960s.

.Also called QueSST - or Quiet SuperSonic Technology aircraft, this new generation of aircraft is specifically designed to reduce sonic booms, which NASA now calls "thunderbolts," which forced Concorde to decelerate sharply as they landed above the ground.

.NASA's X-59 supersonic jet is being built at Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works in Palmdale, California.

NASA has awarded the airline a $247.5 million contract to develop the supersonic plane.

Read also: Loyal Wingman.. .Boeing's latest drone (video)

In this regard, the design team says that the aircraft should reach a speed of Mach 1.4 (or 925 miles per hour).

.According to the NASA blog, NASA's X-59 is designed with a 30-foot-long nose that reduces the sonic boom when the plane is traveling at Mach 1 (equivalent to 765.6 mph or approximately 340 m/sec). .

This would allow the aircraft to reach supersonic speeds shortly after take-off over congested urban areas.

Notably, the original Concorde had to stay at subsonic speeds over cities, which in turn increased flight times.

.The completed aircraft is 94 feet long and has a wingspan of 29.5 feet. It will have a maximum take-off weight of 32,300 pounds, with a top speed of Mach 1.5 (990 mph).

A video released last August showed that the assembly process used pre-drilled parts connected to pre-drilled full-size mounting holes.

."This has dramatically reduced the time it takes to locate and fit parts," said David Richardson of Lockheed Martin.

As for the cabin of the X-59, it will only accommodate one pilot without passengers, but NASA eventually plans to develop supersonic technology for a commercial flight.

.Meanwhile, other projects related to the speed of sound are moving forward. Boom Aerospace has announced the opening of a new production plant at Piedmont Triad Airport in North Carolina.

The company said it expects its supersonic commercial aircraft to be in service by 2029.

.The Chinese company, Space Transportation, had revealed footage of a model plane that it said would reach 2,600 miles per hour, which would allow it to fly from New York to Beijing in one hour.

.Similarly, Virgin Galactic is also planning to eventually use its supersonic aircraft for more than just sub-orbital flights, instead flying passengers to distant destinations in record time.

A NASA plane is scheduled to make its maiden flight later this year, according to the US government agency