Technology and Scienceupdated 36m ago2 min read
Archive photo · 11 April 2019NASA Unveils X-70 Fractal Experimental Aircraft at UP.Summit in Florida
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NASA unveiled the X-70 Fractal, a crewed, modular experimental aircraft at UP.Summit in Florida. It features rapidly reconfigurable flight-control technology to test advanced aeronautical systems.
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X-70 Unveiled at Kennedy
NASA unveiled its experimental aircraft X-70 Fractal during the UP.Summit at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said, "The X-70 Fractal provides NASA with a high-performance manned platform to test advanced flight-control technologies, maneuverability, and other cutting-edge technologies in real flight," as the agency positioned the program as a way to accelerate flight testing of advanced aircraft technologies. The X-70 is designed to cruise at Mach 0.75, reach altitudes up to 45,000 feet, and operate over distances of approximately 1,500 nautical miles (2,778 km).
The aircraft will have a maximum takeoff weight of 10,000 lb (4,536 kg) and accommodate up to 2,000 lb (907 kg) of experimental equipment carried internally or externally. NASA expects the X-70 to make its first flight under NASA operations within two years, and it described the aircraft as a flexible research platform for testing emerging aviation technologies in flight.
Modular Controls, Payload Swaps
The X-70 Fractal is described as a crewed testbed with rapidly reconfigurable flight-control technology designed to explore maneuverability in ways NASA said had never previously been demonstrated in crewed flight. Laurie Grindle, Director of NASA’s Aeronautics Division within the Space Science and Technology Mission Directorate, said, "It’s exciting to add another experimental aircraft to accelerate and spur aeronautical research." The aircraft’s modular design would let teams rapidly swap internal and external payloads between experiments, so engineers could keep flying, learning, and moving quickly from one test to the next.
Ars Technica highlighted that NASA’s press materials included an apparently AI-generated image of the X-70, showing a dark silhouette obscured by smoke, while Ars said much remained unknown about the aircraft’s design and development timeline. Aviation Week said Isaacman promised more would follow as the X-70 Fractal should reach first flight within two years, and it described the 10,000-lb Fractal as designed to cruise at Mach .75 and reach altitudes of up to 45,000 ft.
What Comes Next
The X-70 Fractal will expand its capacity to conduct flight research, particularly in advanced flight controls and aircraft handling, by accommodating different research equipment and flight-test objectives.
The Fractal’s reconfigurable controls could allow researchers to investigate how new control systems affect aircraft behaviour across a range of flight conditions, while the agency said the aircraft is designed to support research into advanced flight control and maneuverability systems.
Isaacman said, "We expect her first flight under the NASA banner within the next two years," linking the timeline to what NASA described as a new beginning for aeronautics.
Aviation Week said Isaacman spoke at the UP.Summit at Kennedy Space Center on Nov. 4 and promised, "I promise you, there will be more," while it also reported that an announcement about another X-plane was expected at the UP.Summit on Nov. 6.
NASA’s Aeronautics program framing tied the X-70 to a legacy that included the Bell X-1, which first broke the sound barrier in 1947, and the X-15, which conducted hypersonic research during the 1950s and 1960s.