NASA is working on a quieter supersonic jet for commercial use

Not since the Concorde have commercial airline passengers been able to break the speed of sound. 

However, several designers and manufacturers are working to change that, including NASA. The agency announced Monday an award to Lockheed Martin to develop the first 'X-plane' design of a "low boom" aircraft. 

The Concorde, which was retired in 2003, faced complaints about loud takeoffs and landings as well as its sonic boom.

“Developing, building and flight testing a quiet supersonic X-plane is the next logical step in our path to enabling the industry's decision to open supersonic travel for the flying public," Jaiwon Shin, associate administrator for NASA’s Aeronautics Research Mission, said in a statement.

With about $20 million over 17 months, the team at Lockheed Martin will work on developing Quiet Supersonic Technology (QueSST).

QueSST is part of NASA’s 10-year New Aviation Horizons initiative, which "has the ambitious goals of reducing fuel use, emissions and noise through innovations in aircraft design that departs from the conventional tube-and-wing aircraft shape."

Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.