![](https://satellitenewsnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/on-this-day-in-space-june-8-1959-x-15-makes-first-glide-flight_64832bbd2a03a.jpeg)
On This Day In Space: June 8, 1959: X-15 makes first glide flight (Image Credit: Space.com)
On June 8, 1959, NASA’s rocket-powered X-15 experimental plane made its first glide flight.
The X-15 rocket plane was part of a series of experimental hypersonic aircraft.
This flight marked the beginning of almost a decade of research that explored the altitudes and hypersonic speed at the edge of space. At maximum speed, the X-15 would fly at Mach 6.7 ― 4,520 miles per hour!
The X-15 program had a total of 12 test pilots, including Neil Armstrong, between 1959 and 1968, making 199 flights in the process. The aircraft flew over a period of almost 10 years.
And with a max altitude of 67 miles, it was even able to reach the edge of outer space in the 1960s.
On This Day in Space Archive!
Still not enough space? Don’t forget to check out our Space Image of the Day, and on the weekends our Best Space Photos and Top Space News Stories of the week.
Follow us @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.