Stennis Space Center in Mississippi has been in the rocket engine test business since the 1960s, back when NASA fired up the powerful Saturn rockets that shook the ground around the isolated Hancock County complex.
When the moon landings were over, experienced test crews adapted the concrete control bunkers and massive test stands for the space shuttle’s main engines.
As private aerospace companies began developing hardware for commercial space missions, they looked to Stennis, with its uniquely experienced workforce and $2B infrastructure, as their go-to proving ground.
Eventually, officials say, NASA may turn the keys for its deep space rocket over to such investors and entrepreneurs as the booming private space industry matures.
The roster of companies who continue to utilize NASA Stennis services, and the decisions by Relativity Space and Rocket Lab to locate test facilities on site, is a "great testimonials about the value of NASA Stennis," said Kevin Power, head of propulsion test project management for the NASA Stennis Engineering and Test Directorate.
Other companies are taking note. Among the companies that have and do use Stennis for testing: Blue Origin, Firehawk, Launcher, Aerospace Rocketdyne, Lockheed Martin, Northrup Grumman, Orbital Sciences Corporation, Rolls Royce, Stratolaunch, Ursa Major, Vast and Virgin Orbit. (Clarion Ledger 07/05/23) SpaceX, other private space exploration companies have MS connection (clarionledger.com)
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