NASA is inviting members of the press to observe the agency’s first all-electric X-plane, the X-57 Maxwell, in its first configuration as an all-electric aircraft, on Friday, Nov. 8, at 9 a.m. PDT, at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California.
The pilots training to fly NASA’s first manned X-plane in two decades will join a representative from the project in providing commentary, as well as interviews, as media are provided the opportunity to observe the aircraft as it prepares for ground systems testing – an important phase as the project proceeds toward taxi and flight tests. The event will focus on X-57 in its current configuration, known as Modification II, or Mod II – the X-plane’s first of three all-electric configurations in the effort to develop certification standards for emerging electric aircraft markets.
The Mod II configuration of X-57 includes replacement of the aircraft’s two inboard combustion engines with electric motors. Flight tests in this phase will validate the X-plane’s electric motors, battery, and instrumentation.
Media planning to attend must contact Matt Kamlet at NASA Armstrong’s public affairs office, at 661-276-2330, or at matthew.r.kamlet@nasa.gov, no later than 9 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 4. Due to the timeframe required to obtain access to Edwards Air Force Base, only U.S. citizens will be able to participate in the event.
For more about NASA’s X-57 Maxwell, visit:
