The X-70 Fractal announcement
NASA administrator Jared Isaacman announced the X-70 Fractal at the UP.Summit held at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on November 4. The agency released an AI-generated image showing a dark silhouette obscured by smoke, which leaves the actual design of the aircraft a mystery. Isaacman said the X-plane could take flight within two years. "The X-70 Fractal gives NASA a crewed, high-performance platform to test advanced flight-control, maneuverability, and other cutting-edge technologies in real flight," Isaacman said. I find the omission of a specific aircraft manufacturer in the release quite unhelpful.
| Spec | Detail |
|---|---|
| Cruise Speed | Mach 0.75 |
| Max Altitude | 45,000 feet |
| Operational Range | Over 1,726 miles (2,778 km) |
| Takeoff Weight | 10,000 pounds (4,536 kg) |
| Payload Capacity | Up to 2,000 pounds (907 kg) |
The X-70 Fractal uses a modular design to swap internal and external payloads, which helps NASA teams move quickly from one experiment to the next. The aircraft has a takeoff weight of 10,000 pounds (4,536 kg) and can accommodate up to 2,000 pounds (907 kg) of experimental payloads, while its cruise speed is Mach 0.75. The aircraft reaches a maximum altitude of 45,000 feet with an operational range exceeding 1,726 miles (2,778 kilometers).
The X-59 Quesst program
NASA is expanding its X-plane fleet through the X-59 Quesst, a Lockheed Martin design intended to reduce sonic booms to "sonic thumps." This program supports the design of future supersonic airliners that may fly overland while minimizing disturbances for buildings and people below. Since its first flight on October 28, 2025, the X-59 completed over 40 flight tests, including both low-speed flights and supersonic test runs reaching Mach 1.53 at the Armstrong Flight Research Center in California. The X-59 recently completed a cross-country journey from California to Florida with stopovers in Texas and Alabama, accompanied by an F-15 and an F/A-18 from the agency’s research fleet. This aircraft sat as a static display during the NASA Max Power airshow at Kennedy Space Center from November 7 – 8.
Isaacman previously presented a smoke-shrouded silhouette at the All-In Summit in Los Angeles from September 12 – 14. This image looked like an SR-71 Blackbird. Aviation Week reported that former NASA employees received job offers to help restore an SR-71 to operational flight capability. NASA also removed a NASA-owned SR-71 with tail number 844 from a display at the Armstrong Flight Research Center in California in September. Another X-plane announcement may come at the UP.Summit on November 6, coinciding with a scheduled announcement from President Donald Trump.
