The aircraft will be based in Hangar Building 4826 at Armstrong, which was built in 1968 and fully renovated, NASA said. The hangar was stripped to its structural steel and rebuilt with new electrical wiring, fire suppression, office space, air conditioning, and safety features. The hangar floor is now 32,000 square feet of new epoxy.
Project manager Bryan Watters led the renovation and said the team was proud to modernize a 1960s hangar for a 2020s X-plane. "The whole team is incredibly proud of what we've accomplished... The fact we could take a 1960s hangar and modernize it for use by a 2020's X-plane is very special," Watters said.
The renovation faced delays due to COVID-19 pandemic supply chain issues. The X-59 measures just under 100 feet long and 30 feet wide. The X-59 features an updated livery for the 250th anniversary of US independence, according to NASA.
Specifics of the design have not been disclosed. The current status of test flights and when the aircraft will demonstrate quiet supersonic flight remain unknown.