NASA reported on October 2, 2026, that its X-59 quiet supersonic experimental aircraft completed six flights during the week of September 21, 2026, its busiest week of testing so far and a single-week record. The aircraft flew twice on September 22, then twice each on September 24 and 25. The total exceeded its previous single-week record by two and brought the X-59 to 38 test flights overall.

According to the agency, one of those flights reached Mach 1.53, approximately 1,010 mph, the aircraft's fastest speed to date and well above the Mach 1.4 cruise speed at which it is expected to typically fly. NASA described the schedule as part of flight envelope expansion, testing how the aircraft performs across a range of speeds, altitudes and maneuvers under conditions it will be expected to fly in.

After the week's flights, the X-59 entered a scheduled maintenance period expected to last roughly three weeks. NASA said that once maintenance is complete, the aircraft would undergo a regular systems review, after which the team planned to return it to flight and resume its fast test cadence. Those steps were described as plans as of the October 2 report.