The Concorde last flew in 2003, and the reason for this was the restrictions imposed on aircraft capable of breaking the speed of sound, as regulations prevent them from flying over populated areas to avoid the excessive noise they cause.
NASA hopes to change these regulations, after it manufactures a new generation of high-speed, low-noise aircraft, through a decade-long program called Quest, which works to manufacture an aircraft known as the X-95, according to CNN.
The new aircraft is the result of cooperation between Lockheed Martin and NASA, with a contract worth $247.5 million, and its first flight is expected to take place later this year.
The length of the aircraft is approximately 30.5 metres, and its wingspan is only about 8.8 metres, giving it a slim and graceful design.
When conventional aircraft travel faster than sound, sound waves travel in all directions, but in the case of this aircraft, its design compresses all the sound waves into one wave, originating at 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 study the public’s reactions.
NASA hopes that its experiment will succeed in opening a new era of supersonic travel, in which everyone can enjoy the experience of fast travel.