Soaring to Sustainability: NASA and Boeing’s X-66 Pioneers Net-Zero Emissions

NASA and Boeing are developing the X-66, an innovative aircraft designed to advance net-zero aviation emissions by 2050. Featuring the Transonic Truss-Braced Wing concept, it promises significant fuel and emissions reductions.

As NASA and Boeing enter the early stages of producing the X-66, the first X-plane specifically focused on helping the United States achieve net-zero aviation emissions by 2050, the team is already picturing what the aircraft will look like soaring above the clouds.

A new rendering of the X-66 from Boeing demonstrates the aircraft’s signature extra-long, thin wings stabilized by diagonal struts, known as the Transonic Truss-Braced Wing concept. When combined with other advancements in propulsion systems, materials, and systems architecture, this configuration could result in up to 30% less fuel consumption and reduced emissions when compared with today’s best-in-class aircraft.