Boom Supersonic, the company behind the world's fastest airliner, Overture, teamed up with NASA to capture specialized photography during the supersonic flight tests of its demonstrator aircraft, XB-1. During XB-1's second supersonic flight on February 10, 2025, NASA teams on the ground used Schlieren photography to visualize the shock waves resulting from XB-1 pushing through the air at supersonic speeds. This technique made it possible to capture the jet as it broke the sound barrier, making the invisible visible.

Furthermore, NASA teams collected data on XB-1's acoustic signature at one location on the flight route. The analysis conducted by Boom found that no audible sonic boom reached the ground as the jet flew at supersonic speeds. This significant observation confirmed that XB-1 made no audible sonic boom, paving the way for faster, more efficient coast-to-coast flights.

The successful capture of the Schlieren images required ideal conditions, accurate timing, and exceptional flying by the pilot. Tristan "Geppetto" Brandenburg, Boom's Chief Test Pilot, positioned XB-1 precisely over the Mojave Desert at a specific time to enable NASA to photograph the aircraft flying in front of the sun. This photograph documented the changing air density around the aircraft at speeds exceeding Mach 1.

The teams from NASA and Boom estimated a high likelihood of operating at Mach cutoff during their modeling of XB-1's supersonic flights. This state is achieved when a sonic boom refracts in the atmosphere and does not reach the ground. It is accomplished by breaking the sound barrier at a high enough altitude, with exact speeds varying based on atmospheric conditions.

On February 10, Boom announced its plans to use the data collected from XB-1's test flight program to implement Boomless Cruise in its supersonic airliner, Overture. This technology allows Overture to fly up to Mach 1.3 without causing an audible boom, thereby reducing U.S. coast-to-coast flight times by up to 90 minutes.

Following the conclusion of XB-1's groundbreaking flight test program, Boom will now focus its entire efforts on scaling XB-1 learnings and technology to build the Overture supersonic airliner. The company has received 130 orders and pre-orders from United Airlines, American Airlines, and Japan Airlines.