SSC, Firehawk unique partnership

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. - In the last half of 2021, NASA's Stennis Space Center (SSC) and startup Firehawk Aerospace participated in a partnership arrangement that provides a new model for future collaborations. In the typical “service-based” partnership model, SSC conducts a test campaign for or in conjunction with a partner company. With the new approach, Firehawk Aerospace led and managed its own test project at the NASA center. Stennis provided facilities, a dedicated test area and support resources for the company to test its Armstrong 1K rocket engine, using a patented, 3D-printed hybrid fuel and a unique mobile test platform. The company also was able to draw on the experience and expertise of the Stennis propulsion team during the project. "This partner-managed facility concept was the first of its kind for Stennis," said Paul Rydeen, NASA Stennis project manager. "We are trying to extend our activities to reach markets that are requesting such accommodations. Some companies want the proximity to propulsion infrastructure and support resources but wish to operate their test campaigns by themselves." The partnership provided SSC with an opportunity to demonstrate how a “partner-managed facility” arrangement could work, said Kevin Power, NASA Stennis chief of the Propulsion Test Project Management Office. It also provided an example of how companies can benefit from even a short-term partnership with the site as they scale up their own operations. SSC has been partnering with commercial companies for years. In recent years, it has supported or is now supporting commercial test projects for Aerojet Rocketdyne, Launcher, Blue Origin, SpaceX, Relativity Space, and Virgin Orbit. (Source: NASA/SSC. 02/17/22)