NASA has announced that its X-59 Quiet SuperSonic Technology (QueSST) aircraft has been cleared for final assembly and systems integration, a move the agency called the “last programmatic hurdle” for QueSST prior to flight signoff. Approval for final assembly of the X-59 was given at a Key Decision Point-D (KDP-D) management review last week. Assembly and systems integration are expected to be completed by late 2020, with the aircraft’s first flight scheduled for 2021.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://www.avweb.com/recent-updates/business-military/nasa-supersonic-x-plane-cleared-for-final-assembly