NASA's experimental supersonic jet gets cleared for final assembly

NASA's supersonic X-59 jet, its first large-scale piloted X-plane (experimental aircraft) in over three decades, has been cleared for final assembly. The Lockheed Martin-designed aircraft could take its first flight as soon as 2021, reportedly travelling at a speed of over 1,500 kmph. The X-59 is shaped to reduce the loudness of the sonic boom reaching the ground, NASA said.