Image source: topwar.ru
NASA decided to close the program started in 2016 to create an all-electric experimental X-57 Maxwell aircraft, which never started flying, although it was planned to take it into the air at the end of 2023.
- indicated in the Altair edition.
Fixing the problem will increase the cost and duration of the program, significantly exceeding the planned budget.
As indicated in NASA, all operations on the project will be curtailed by the end of September. During this time, technical documents describing its results will be published:
The X-57 is a modified Tecnam P2006T, which NASA planned to equip with an electric power plant. Initially, it was planned to replace the two Rotax 14 engines with propellers with electric motors powered by lithium-ion batteries.
During the first tests, a short circuit and overheating of lithium-ion batteries occurred. After redesigning them and conducting subsequent stationary tests, engineers determined that a number of components of the electrical system are not able to withstand the extreme temperatures and vibrations that may occur during flight.
In 2021, it was decided to abandon the creation of a version of the Mod IV aircraft with 14 propellers, focusing on the modification of the Mod II with two propellers. The aircraft in this version was supposed to begin flights before the end of 2023. Now this plan has also been canceled, finally consigning the long-term program to oblivion.
