This rare footage shows NASA testing the X-43A, an experimental hypersonic aircraft built to explore extreme-speed flight. Because scramjet engines cannot start from rest, the vehicle was carried under a B-52, boosted to hypersonic speed by a rocket, and only then ignited its own engine. | SpaceEve

The X-15 experimental aircraft achieved its first hypersonic flight on June 23, 1961, soaring at speeds over five times the speed of sound. Later, the X-43A reached about 7,000 mph using innovative engines that harnessed atmospheric oxygen. For nearly eight decades, NASA Armstrong has been at the forefront of high-speed research, achieving these and many other milestones. Today, our engineers are developing technologies to make space access safer and more affordable, and to bring routine commerc

It's the 20th anniversary of the X-43A record speed flight! ⭐ NASA’s X-43A experimental aircraft set the world speed record for a jet-powered aircraft 20 years ago on Nov. 16, 2004. The flight originated from NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. The B-52B carried a Pegasus rocket under its wing, and the X-43A was attached to the rocket’s nose. Once in position over the Pacific Ocean, the rocket air-launched and its engine fired, and once in position, the X-43A’s engine