The X-57's Mod II vehicle replaces the traditional combustion engines on baseline Tecnam P2006T aircraft with electric cruise motors. The Mod II will be put to rigorous test over the next few weeks.
FREMONT, CA: NASA's X-57 Maxwell's first fully electric configuration was delivered to the Armstrong Flight Research Center in Florida by Empirical Systems Aerospace (ESAero). The X-57 Maxwell is NASA's first all-electric experimental aircraft and the first crewed X-plane in two decades. The delivery marked first of three configurations of the all-electric aircraft, known as Modification II or Mod II.
The delivery marks a significant milestone for the project as it allows NASA engineers to begin putting the aircraft through ground tests, which will be followed by taxi tests and flight tests. The X-57's Mod II vehicle replaces the traditional combustion engines on baseline Tecnam P2006T aircraft with electric cruise motors. The Mod II will be put to rigorous test over the next few weeks.
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"The X-57 Mod II aircraft delivery to NASA is a significant event, marking the beginning of a new phase in this exciting electric X-plane project," said X-57 Project Manager Tom Rigney. "With the aircraft in our possession, the X-57 team will soon conduct extensive ground testing of the integrated electric propulsion system to ensure the aircraft is airworthy. We plan to rapidly share valuable lessons learned along the way as we progress toward flight testing, helping to inform the growing electric aircraft market."
The Mod II completed loads testing on a new, high aspect ratio wing at NASA Armstrong's Flight Loads Laboratory. Following the completion of the tests, the wing, which will be featured on the Mod III and Mod IV configurations, will undergo fit checks on fuselage at ESAero, which will ensure the timely transition of the project's Mod II phase to Mod III phase.
"ESAero is thrilled to be delivering the MOD II X-57 Maxwell to NASA AFRC," said ESAero President and CEO Andrew Gibson. "In this revolutionary time, the experience and lessons learned, from early requirements to current standards development, has the X-57 paving the way. This milestone, along with receiving the successfully load-tested MOD III wing back, will enable NASA, ESAero and the small business team to accelerate and lead electric air vehicle distributed propulsion development on the MOD III and MOD IV configurations with integration at our facilities in San Luis Obispo."
The X-57 team is using a design driver as a technical challenge, to drive lessons learned and best practices. This design driver includes a 500 percent increase in high-speed cruise efficiency, zero in-flight carbon emissions, and flight that is much quieter for communities on the ground.
