NASA has unveiled its first all-electric experimental aircraft, named the X-57 "Maxwell,". It was showcased in its lesser-known aeronautics lab in the California desert.

It is adapted from an Italian-made Tecnam P2006T twin-engine propeller plane. The X-57 has been under development since 2015 and remains at least a year away from its first test flight in the skies over Edward Air Force Base.

NASA's X-57 venture is aimed at designing and proving technology according to standards that commercial manufacturers can adapt for government certification.

NASA also showed off a newly built simulator that allows engineers, and pilots, to get the feel of what it will be like to maneuver the finished version of the X-57 in flight, even as the plane remains under development.