The North American X-15 is a hypersonic rocket-powered aircraft which was operated by the United States Air Force and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as part of the X-plane series of experimental aircraft.

The X-15 and other X-planes are more than a historical legacy for NASA. The program is the core of NASA’s New Aviation Horizons, an array of new experimental aircraft that will carry on the legacy of demonstrating advanced technologies to push back the frontiers of aviation.

Feb 28, 2014 · Manufactured by North American Aviation Inc., three rocket-powered X-15s flew a total of 199 times, with North American (and former National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics or NACA) pilot Scott Crossfield making the first, unpowered glide flight on June 8, 1959.

Oct 13, 2023 · On Oct. 15, 1958, the first X-15 hypersonic rocket-powered aircraft rolled out of its factory. A joint project among NASA, the U.S. Air Force, and the U.S. Navy, the X-15 greatly expanded our knowledge of flight at speeds exceeding Mach 6 and altitudes above 250,000 feet.

Jan 7, 2025 · X-15, rocket-powered research aircraft built in the 1950s by North American Aviation, Inc., for the U.S. military and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in order to gather information on flight conditions beyond the atmosphere.

First flown in 1959, the North American X-15 bridged the gap between human flight in the atmosphere and spaceflight. It was the first winged aircraft to fly Mach 4, 5, & 6 and to operate at altitudes above 30,500 m (100,000 ft). Eight of 12 pilots received astronaut wings.

This joint program by NASA, the Air Force, the Navy, and North American operated the most remarkable of all the rocket research aircraft. Composed of an internal structure of titanium and a skin surface of a chrome-nickel alloy known as Inconel X, the X-15 had its first, unpowered glide flight on June 8, 1959, while the first powered flight ...

Still the fastest airplane ever flown, the North American X-15 earned its title 40 years ago, when on October 3, 1967 Air Force Major William “Pete” Knight flew the rocket-powered aircraft to...

Feb 2, 2025 · The X-15 program primarily used single type of aircraft: the North American X-15 and the X-15A-2, a modified version of the second X-15 aircraft, was delivered to NASA in February 1964. As reported by NASA the X-15A-2 was modified with external fuel tanks and a 28-inch fuselage extension for liquid hydrogen.

Sep 14, 2020 · The North American X-15 was built as part of a research program on very high-speed and high altitude flights. Unable to take off on its own, the X-15 is hung under the wing of a modified Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, then dropped over 15,000 meters of altitude.