NASA Ends X-57 Maxwell Before First Flight After Ground Tests

NASA terminated the X-57 Maxwell subproject in March 2024, ending before the aircraft achieved its first flight. The project began with Modification I, which utilized a gas-powered Tecnam P2006T baseline and was not intended for electric flight or distributed propulsion. (Primary source)

Despite the early closure, specific engineering milestones were successfully completed. These included LEAPTech ground tests conducted on the lakebed outside NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center to validate battery and electrical systems. Additionally, wind-tunnel testing of high-lift propellers and extensive computational fluid dynamics modeling provided valuable data. (Primary source; Primary source)

The final design goals, which remained unflown, involved a new wing reduced to 42% of the original area and a distributed electric propulsion system with fourteen motors. Modification 2 planned ground and flight tests for these technologies but did not fly them. Modification 3 focused on building components for the final version, while Modification 4 intended flight tests integrating all fourteen motors, none of which occurred before closure. (Primary source; Primary source)