NASA has discontinued its X-57 Maxwell all-electric aircraft program without a single test flight to its name – and it is now in the process of doing so.

NASA has decided to pull the plug on its all-electric aircraft program, the X-57 Maxwell. As the space agency announced late last week, the project is being shut down despite not having a single test flight to its name.

As reported by Space Explored, the project, which has been underway for some time and has seen years of research and development, will finally be completed in September 2023. NASA has announced that work on certain elements of the project will continue after that date, to ensure that open projects are completed.

The idea of the X-57 Maxwell program was to help complete the goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions from the U.S. aviation sector by 2050, and while it is being shut down, NASA has said it has been a success with many lessons learned.