Boom Supersonic is set to break the sound barrier today during a test flight. This will be a historic achievement for the company, and you can witness it live.
Boom’s XB-1 test vehicle, based in Colorado, is scheduled to take off on its 12th test flight from California’s Mojave Air & Space Port at around 11:00 a.m. EST. If successful, the piloted demonstrator craft will surpass the speed of sound about 25 minutes later.
You can watch the live webcast of the mission on Boom Supersonic’s website starting at 10:45 a.m. EST. Space.com will also carry the stream if it’s available on YouTube.
The XB-1 is a subscale pathfinder vehicle designed to showcase technologies that will be used in the future commercial jet Overture.
If successful, Overture, a 64-seat passenger jet, will be the first supersonic passenger aircraft since the Concorde was retired in 2003.
The XB-1 first flew in March 2024 and has completed 11 test flights so far, pushing boundaries with each outing. During its last flight on Jan. 10, it reached a speed of Mach 0.95, almost breaking the sound barrier.
Boom Founder and CEO Blake Scholl considers today’s flight significant. In a tweet on Jan. 25, Scholl called it the “Falcon 1 moment” for supersonic flight, comparing it to SpaceX’s successful Falcon 1 launch in 2008.
Scholl remains cautiously optimistic about the mission’s success in another tweet on Jan. 25.
Today’s livestream will offer viewers dramatic in-flight views through SpaceX’s Starlink satellite-internet service.
Boom shared in a tweet on Jan. 25 that the flight will be livestreamed from a chase aircraft equipped with a Starlink Mini antenna for real-time viewing.
