NASA Armstrong Advances Flight Research and Innovation in 2025
In 2025, NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, advanced work across aeronautics, Earth science, exploration technologies, and emerging aviation systems, reinforcing its role as one of the agency's primary test sites for aeronautics research. From early concept evaluations to full flight test campaigns, teams enhanced measurement tools, refined safety systems, and generated data that supported missions across NASA. Operating from the Mojave Desert, NASA Armstrong continued applying engineering design with real-world performance, carrying forward research that informs how aircraft operate today and how new systems may function in the future.
The year's progress also reflects the people behind the work – engineers, technicians, pilots, operators, and mission support staff who navigate complex tests and ensure each mission advances safely and deliberately. Their efforts strengthened partnerships with industry, small businesses, and universities while expanding opportunities for students and early career professionals. Together they sustained NASA Armstrong's long-standing identity as a center where innovation is proven in flight and where research helps chart the course for future aviation and exploration.
"We executed our mission work safely, including flight of the first piloted NASA X-plane in decades, while under challenging conditions," said Brad Flick, center director of NASA Armstrong. "It tells me our people embrace the work we do and are willing to maintain high levels of professionalism while enduring personal stress and uncertainty. It's a testimony to the dedication of our NASA and contractor workforce."
Teams continued advancing key projects, supporting partners, and generating data that contributes to NASA's broader mission.
NASA Armstrong continued its quiet supersonic research, completing a series of activities in support of NASA's Quesst mission. On the X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft, the team performed electromagnetic interference tests and ran engine checks to prepare the aircraft for taxi tests. The Schlieren, Airborne Measurements, and Range Operations for Quesst (SCHAMROQ) team completed aircraft integration and shock-sensing probe calibration flights, refining the tools needed to characterize shock waves from the X-59. These efforts supported the aircraft's progression toward its first flight on Oct. 28, marking a historic milestone and the beginning of its transition to NASA Armstrong for continued testing.
The center's Commercial Supersonic Technology (CST) team also conducted airborne validation flights using NASA F-15s, confirming measurement systems essential for Quesst's next research phase. Together, this work forms the technical backbone for upcoming community response studies, where NASA will evaluate whether quieter supersonic thumps could support future commercial applications.
Across aeronautics programs, Armstrong supported work that strengthens NASA's ability to study sustainable, efficient, and high-performance aircraft. Teams conducted aerodynamic measurements and improved test-article access for instrumentation, enabling more precise evaluations of advanced aircraft concepts. Engineers continued developing tools and techniques to study aircraft performance under high-speed and high-temperature conditions, supporting research in hypersonic flight.
NASA Armstrong supported multiple aspects of the nation's growing air mobility ecosystem. Researchers conducted tests and evaluations to better understand aircraft performance, airflow, and passenger experience. Additional work included assessing drone-based inspection techniques, developing advanced communication networks, performing drop tests, and refining methods to evaluate emerging mobility aircraft.
These studies support NASA's broader goal of integrating new electric, autonomous, and hybrid aircraft safely into the national airspace.
Earth science campaigns at NASA Armstrong contributed to the agency's ability to monitor environmental changes and improve satellite data accuracy. Researchers tested precision navigation systems that keep high-speed aircraft on path, supporting more accurate atmospheric and climate surveys. Airborne measurements and drone flights documented wildfire behavior, smoke transport, and post-fire impacts while gathering temperature, humidity, and airflow data during controlled burns. These efforts also supported early-stage technology demonstrations, evaluating new wildfire sensing tools under real flight conditions to advance fire response research. High-altitude aircraft contributed to missions that improved satellite calibration, refined atmospheric measurements, and supported snowpack and melt studies to enhance regional water-resource forecasting.
NASA Armstrong supported exploration technologies that will contribute to agency's return to the Moon and future missions deeper into the solar system, including sending the first astronauts – American astronauts – to Mars. Teams advanced sensor systems and conducted high-altitude drop tests to capture critical performance data, supporting the need for precise entry, descent, and landing capabilities on future planetary missions.
Contributions from NASA Armstrong also strengthen the systems and technologies that help make Artemis – the agency's top priority – safer, more reliable, and more scientifically productive, supporting a sustained human presence on the Moon and preparing for future human exploration of Mars.
The center expanded outreach, education, and workforce development efforts throughout the year. Students visited NASA Armstrong for hands-on exposure to careers in aeronautics, while staff and volunteers supported a regional robotics competition that encouraged exploration of the field. Educators brought aeronautics concepts directly into classrooms across the region, and interns from around the country gained experience supporting real flight research projects.
NASA Armstrong also highlighted unique career pathways and recognized employees whose work showcases the human side of NASA missions. A youth aviation program launched with a regional museum provided additional opportunities for young learners to explore flight science, further strengthening the center's community impact:
Facility improvements and new platforms strengthened NASA Armstrong's research capabilities. A rooftop operation removed a historic telemetry pedestal to make way for updated infrastructure, while preserving an important artifact of the center's flight test heritage. Engineers also completed a new subscale research aircraft, providing a flexible, cost-effective platform for evaluating aerodynamics, instrumentation, and flight control concepts in preparation for full-scale testing:
NASA Armstrong will continue advancing flight research across aeronautics and Earth science, building on this year's achievements. Upcoming efforts include additional X-59 flights, expanded quiet supersonic studies, new air mobility evaluations, high-altitude science campaigns, and maturing technologies that support hypersonic research and the Artemis program for future planetary missions.
"Next year will be a year of continuity, but also change," Flick said. "The agency's new Administrator, Jared Isaacman, will bring a renewed mission-first focus to the agency, and NASA Armstrong will push the boundaries of what's possible. But the most important thing we can do is safely and successfully execute our portfolio of work within budget and schedule."
For more than seven decades, NASA Armstrong has strengthened the nation's understanding of flight. This year's work builds on that legacy, helping shape the future of aviation and exploration through research proven in the air.
To explore more about NASA Armstrong's missions, research, and discoveries, visit:
https://www.nasa.gov/armstrong
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