NASA has unveiled a new experimental vehicle, the X-70 Fractal, although many of its features remain a mystery. The agency describes it as a research platform designed to conduct advanced aeronautical tests, but so far it has released only computer-generated images and some technical specifications regarding its capabilities.
Despite the secrecy, it is possible to get some idea of what the new vehicle is like. First of all, it’s not a spacecraft, meaning it is not designed to reach Earth’s orbit or operate outside the atmosphere. However, this crewed, subsonic aircraft is capable of flying far above commercial jets, reaching altitudes over 45,000 feet, well into the stratosphere. Other specs released include the plane’s max speed of Mach 0.75—about 575 miles per hour—and that it can travel nearly 1,700 miles in a single flight.
According to NASA, the X-70 Fractal will enable research into maneuver capabilities never before demonstrated in crewed aircraft, although the agency has not specified what types of maneuvers it intends to perform. The plane will also be capable of carrying up to one ton of experimental equipment and is expected to make its first flight under the NASA banner within the next two years.
One of the key features of the craft will be its modular design, allowing for the rapid installation and replacement of experimental equipment both inside and outside the aircraft. This is largely why it is referred to as an “experimental platform.” It will also feature reconfigurable flight control systems so that NASA can study different ways of steering an aircraft without having to develop a separate platform for each research project.
Although NASA is best known for its space missions, it’s long been dedicated to aeronautical research. That’s what the first A stands for. The agency also traces its origins to the creation of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, which was founded in 1915 and was folded into the newly formed NASA in 1958.
Since then, the space agency has developed numerous experimental aircraft to test technologies that range from supersonic flight and propulsion systems to new aerodynamic configurations. Not all of these prototypes go on to become operational aircraft, but the knowledge gained contributes to the development of future commercial and military aircraft as well as space vehicles.
Among its most recent projects is the X-59, developed in collaboration with aerospace and defense company Lockheed Martin to investigate ways to reduce the noise produced by supersonic aircraft. The X-70 Fractal will join this tradition of pioneers in the sky.