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NASA's new experimental aircraft will go thump in the night – that's the plan, anyway. The X-59, set to be unveiled in Palmdale, California, on Friday, is designed to turn the volume down on supersonic travel.

"NASA's X-59 is a one-of-a-kind experimental aircraft that will demonstrate the ability to fly supersonic while generating a gentle "sonic thump" rather than the normally loud sonic boom," NASA said .

The aircraft, a collaboration with , is the centerpiece of NASA's Quesst mission, with the goal of minimizing cross-country travel time by making supersonic flight over land possible. 

The United States banned supersonic travel over land for non-military aircraft in 1973 due to public concern about sonic booms over populated areas. NASA recently studied , which could in theory shuttle passengers from New York City to London in under two hours.

"We're definitely ready to write a new chapter in the history of supersonic flight, making air travel over land twice as fast, but in a way that is safe, sustainable, and so much quieter than before," Peter Coen, NASA's Quesst Mission Integration Manager, said in a statement in April.

The X-59 is scheduled to . Once fully operational and tested, NASA plans to fly the aircraft over select U.S. cities in 2026 and gather feedback from the public on the sound it produces.