NASA’s X-57 Maxwell electric plane gets closer to first flight with successful thermal tests

NASA announced that its X-57 Maxwell all-electric aircraft completed thermal testing of its cruise motor controllers, reaching another milestone on the journey towards its first flight. The thermal testing validated the design, operability and quality of the controllers, which are critical components that power the X-57’s experimental electric motors.

What is NASA’s X-57 Maxwell electric aircraft?

The X-57 Maxwell is the agency’s first all-electric experimental aircraft. The main goal of the project is to share X-57’s electric propulsion-based design with regulators in a bid to advance certification approaches for emerging electric aircraft.