When you buy through links on our articles, future and its syndication partners can earn a committee.
An illustration of a proposed supersonic jet by Lockheed Martin. | Credit: NASA/Lockheed Martin Corporation
Suppersonic commercial journeys could soon come to the US after a new Executive Order that lifts a 52-year ban on commercial supersonic flights over land.
While supersonic flights could cross the Atlantic Ocean, in 1973 the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) forbade commercial supersonic flights about land in response to public pressure on noise. The new executive command, issued on 6 June, elevates it and sets a timeline for the introduction of noise -based certification rules for supersonic flights.
This step could almost shorten the travel time between New York and Los Angeles in two, from six to just 3.5 hours.
Before the prohibition, the US, France, the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union have all followed commercial applications for Supersonic Aviation Technology. But the supersonic aircraft of each country created deafening, window -making sounds at ground level.
In the meantime, the TU-144 design of the Soviet Union was strongly off from loud after-burners to reach Mach 1 (767 MPH, or 1,235 km/h)-or faster than the speed of the sound.
Nowadays, companies such as Boom Supersonic create “Boomless Cruise” where an airplane can fly more than 30,000 feet (9,100 meters), reach Mach 1 and does not produce noise at the ground level-a phenomenon known as Mach Cutoff. Boom’s plane reached this milestone in January 2025, when it completed a test flight that Sonic Boom successfully pushed up, so they disappeared before they reached the ground.
Boom is confronted with competition from Lockheed Martin and its research partner NASA in the form of their X-59 Supersonic demonstrator Jet. The design of the X-59 places the engines of the aircraft on top of the hull, so that the shock waves and the resulting sound that reaches the ground level.
Related stories
-Nasas X-59 ‘Pacific’ Supersonic Jet rolls out for his 1st test drive (video)
-Nasa’s X-59 Jet takes ‘flight’ without leaving the ground | Space photo of the day before May 20, 2025
-Boom Supersonic will test its new faster-DAN sound XB-1 JET in 2021
The regulatory timeline for this technology can be considered aggressive. The new directive calls for a withdrawal of prohibited on Supersonic Flight by December 3, determines noise certification standards before December 6, 2026 and the implementation of final rules by 6 June 2027.
For comparison: regulations for the use of commercial drones went from government mandate to definitive implementation in four years.
This story was delivered by Live ScienceA sister site from Space.com.
