Braving mosquitoes, snakes, hurricanes, and the intense heat of southern Mississippi, early crews set the tone for a culture defined by adaptability. That spirit persists at NASA Stennis, now celebrating over 60 years of propulsion testing that underpins U.S. space exploration.
"From going to the Moon for the first time and now returning to the Moon, you can trace a straight line of propulsion testing at NASA Stennis," said Maury Vander, chief of the NASA Stennis Test Operations Division. "We still stand on the front lines of support for this country's space program."
The center's test infrastructure, built over the last five decades, has supported an array of NASA and commercial missions. The Fred Haise (formerly A-1 Test Stand), A-2, and Thad Cochran (B-1/B-2) stands were originally constructed in the 1960s for Saturn V rocket stage tests supporting the Apollo missions. While the Fred Haise and A-2 were single-position stands, the Thad Cochran stand was capable of housing two Saturn V first stages at B-1 and B-2, though only B-2 was used during Apollo.
Post-Apollo, the stands were adapted to test individual engines. Over the years, they played key roles in testing space shuttle main engines and other propulsion systems. The Thad Cochran (B-2) stand remained available for full-stage tests, supporting projects like the Delta IV rocket's Common Core Booster and, more recently, the Space Launch System (SLS) for the Artemis I mission in 2022.
Today, the Fred Haise stand is dedicated to RS-25 engine tests for NASA's Artemis program, ensuring each RS-25 destined for SLS missions is rigorously evaluated. The A-2 stand, now leased to Relativity Space, is being transformed to test new rocket stages. The Thad Cochran (B-1) stand, after more than 20 years of RS-68 engine testing for Aerojet Rocketdyne (now L3Harris), is available for commercial use, while B-2 prepares for NASA's SLS exploration upper stage testing.
Reflecting on these contributions, Vander remarked, "When you think about the work at NASA Stennis, this is a place that helps write history. These test stands, still in use 60 years after their construction, represent more history yet to be made."
In the 2010s, NASA Stennis expanded with the addition of the A-3 Test Stand, capable of simulating altitudes up to 100,000 feet for testing engines and stages operating in space conditions. Rocket Lab currently leases the A-3 area to develop its Archimedes Test Complex.
The E Test Complex at Stennis, consisting of four smaller facilities, supports a range of testing from components to full systems. Built between the late 1980s and early 1990s, the E-1, E-2, and E-3 stands originated from various NASA and joint projects. Although some original projects were canceled, the facilities were completed for ongoing testing needs.
Relativity Space further expanded the complex by completing an E-4 area in 2018 for commercial testing. The E Complex now includes 12 active test cells, leased to various aerospace companies, including Relativity Space, which has secured E-2 cells 1 and 2 through 2028.
"These facilities really do not exist anywhere else in the United States," said Kevin Power, assistant director of the Office of Project Management in the NASA Stennis Engineering and Test Directorate. "Customers come to us with requirements for certain tests of an article, and we look at what is the best place to test it based on the facility infrastructure. We have completed component level testing, all the way up to full engines."
Power highlighted the significance of the E Complex, emphasizing the center's ability to meet diverse and evolving aerospace needs: "The E Complex illustrates the NASA Stennis story. We have very valuable infrastructure and resources, chief of which is the test team, who adapt to benefit NASA and meet the needs of the growing commercial aerospace industry."
Related Links
Propulsion Testing at Stennis
Rocket Science News at Space-Travel.Com
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