NASA captures extraordinary moment Boom Supersonic’s XB-1 jet breaks sound barrier
To make air travel faster and quieter, the aeronautical engineers at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) have developed the X-59 quiet supersonic aircraft, a jet designed to fly faster than sound. Now, a significant step in this direction comes as the space agency collaborated with Boom Supersonic to capture a shockwave while the latter’s XB-1 demonstrator flies at supersonic speed, per Space.com. The incredible sight of the “Baby Boom” breaking the sound barrier three times, with its dark silhouette stark against the sun, will help experts study how air behaves around supersonic aircraft. For ordinary folks, this is good news, as Boom Supersonic is entering the next phase to build America’s first supersonic airliner, the Overture aircraft.
“This image makes the invisible visible — the first American-made civil supersonic jet breaking the sound barrier,” Blake Scholl, Boom Supersonic founder and CEO, said in a statement. Like NASA, the company has been working on building the next generation of quiet supersonic jets that will eventually make air travel more convenient. The space agency took the rare image as the demonstrator flew over California’s Mojave Desert on February 10, 2025. The experts came prepared and even narrowed down a particular spot in the sublime landscape where the XB-1 flew at supersonic speed.
While Boom chief test pilot Tristan “Geppetto” Brandenburg flew the aircraft to a precise spot, a team of NASA captured its fast-paced movement with ground telescopes. “Thanks to Geppetto's exceptional flying and our partnership with NASA, we were able to capture this iconic image,” Scholl added. The experts at the space agency also collected data on XB-1’s acoustic signature at one location on the flight route. Notably, the telescopes used by NASA were equipped with special filters that detect air distortions, such as shock waves, around the supersonic aircraft.
Furthermore, Boom Supersonic made an incredible claim that its test flight didn’t cause any noise disturbance on the ground. This comes decades after the US stopped building its own supersonic jet half a century ago, at the peak of commercial supersonic flights, due to loud sonic booms, according to NASA. When a supersonic plane flies while breaking the sound barrier at a speed of about 750 miles per hour at sea level, it creates a sonic boom in the air, a thunder-like sound caused by shock waves. Since supersonic flights are prohibited over populated areas in the U.S., as per Space.com, the latest test flight marks a notable moment in aviation history.
“We also confirmed that XB-1 made no audible sonic boom, which paves the way for coast-to-coast flights up to 50% faster,” Scholl confirmed. The rare sight of the XB-1 aircraft creating shockwaves mid-air, spreading out like ripples in water, is a special type of photo called a Schlieren image, reported Space.com. In 1864, German physicist August Toepler came up with this unique proposition that helped him visualize invisible air movements, such as objects flying at sonic speeds. The technique helps make shockwaves visible in a photo, as it captures how light bends around differences in air pressure.
To guide its pilot to the right spot where the XB-1 aircraft could eclipse the sun, Boom Supersonic made software using NASA’s data. The space agency deployed on-ground telescopes with special filters, which then came into use. These highly efficient telescopes captured the exact moment when the test flight entered the spot. It resulted in the scenic visuals of the XB-1 being surrounded by shockwaves, as seen in the photograph shared by the space agency and the company.
