The Concorde flew for the last time in 2003, and the reason for this was the restrictions imposed on aircraft capable of breaking the speed of sound, as regulations prevent it from flying over populated areas to avoid the intense noise it causes.
NASA hopes to change those regulations, after it manufactures a new generation of high-speed, low-noise aircraft, through a decade-long program called Quesst, which is working on an aircraft known as the X-95, according to CNN.
The new plane is the product of a collaboration between Lockheed Martin and NASA, with a contract valued at $ 247.5 million, and its first flight is expected later this year.
The aircraft is approximately 30.5 meters long and has a wingspan of only 8.8 meters, which gives it a slim and graceful design.
When conventional planes travel faster than sound, sound waves travel in all directions, but in the case of this plane, its design compresses all sound waves into one wave, originating from the nose and ending at the tail, which greatly reduces the audible sound.
According to the development plan, the plane will fly over a number of residential complexes in the United States in 2024, to test various weather and geographical conditions, and to study public reactions.
NASA hopes that its experiment will usher in a new era of supersonic travel, in which everyone can enjoy the experience of fast travel.