SS99-X-6 The Wallops Flight Facility Model for an Integrated Federal/Commercial Test Range Bruce E. Underwood Policy and Business Relations Office NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Wallops Island, Virginia 23337 (757) 824-1613 [email protected] Abstract. Historically, the U.S. federal government has been the predominant user of space within this country. In support of this need, it established a number of federal launch facilities to support government projects. Among these sites was NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility. While Wallops’ historical responsibilities have been principally in support of NASA science and technology missions, the emerging growth of commercial space is changing the fundamental philosophies of the roles of the government. The Virginia Commercial Space Flight Authority and NASA have formed a partnership that leverages the capabilities of the established NASA/Wallops Test Range with the resources offered by a commercial space flight center. This innovative relationship allows for growth of commercial space activities while preserving the ability to support NASA and Department of Defense needs. Wallops Flight Facility has developed a cooperative federal/commercial relationship that can serve as a model for other potential public/private partnerships to follow. Today’s federal launch sites are challenged to meet the emerging needs of commercial industry under an increasingly difficult financial climate. The current range studies and the actions taken within the next several years will be critical to the future of this country’s space launch infrastructure. Background government organizations to meet their own particular needs. Since the earliest days of the Space Age, the federal government has dominated the use of space within the United States. The government Establishment of the Wallops Test Range has maintained a constant emphasis in space, split between national security interests led by the In the early 1940’s, NASA’s predecessor, the Department of Defense (DoD), and scientific National Advisory Committee on Aeronautics exploration led by the National Aeronautics and developed requirements for a site suitable for Space Administration (NASA). subscale tests of aircraft designs. The facility now known as the NASA Langley Research Center As part of these efforts, the federal government was heavily involved in the study of the has funded, managed, and conducted the vast aerodynamics of conceptual aircraft. With majority of efforts necessary to gain access to supersonic wind tunnels years away from reality, space. These efforts have covered the full extent measurements were made through the use of of enabling tasks including the development of aircraft models carried aboard rockets. spacecraft, launch vehicles, and supporting launch infrastructure. Wallops Island, Virginia was chosen as the site for supporting Langley testing due to its remote During the mid-1940's through the early 1960’s, barrier island location. In 1945, a Tiamat rocket the U.S. government established a number of test was launched, marking the first of more than ranges to support the array of missions to be fifteen thousand launches from Wallops. In 1959, carried out by the DoD and NASA. These ranges NASA added a large portion of land now known were typically established by individual as the Main Base to the Wallops Island site Bruce E. Underwood 1 13th AIAA/USU Conference on Small Satellites creating over 6000 acres of NASA-owned real launch range contained within restricted airspace estate. R-6604. The restricted area adjoins the offshore Warning Areas, allowing for continuous As the space race took off in the 1960's, the controlled airspace for runway or launcher-borne Wallops focus moved toward support of the flight vehicles such as the Orbital Sciences Corp. test programs necessary to put man on the moon. Pegasus, UAVs, and future reusable launch Wallops served as the site for many of the early vehicles, as well as conventional rocket designs. animal flight tests, flights of the Mercury capsule aboard the Little Joe rocket, and flights measuring the ionization blackout phenomena during spacecraft reentry. A mainstay of Wallops during the 1960’s, 1970’s, and early 1980’s was the Scout expendable launch vehicle. During this period, Wallops conducted more than 40 launches of the Scout launch vehicle, including 21 orbital missions. This represented Wallops’ entry into the ranks of orbital launch ranges. NASA Current Activities at Wallops The Wallops focus has evolved in recent decades and now predominantly supports scientific research and technology development missions. In addition to its historical function as a test range, Wallops is also responsible for implementation of NASA’s suborbital flight projects including sounding rockets, balloons, and scientific aircraft. Wallops also implements some of NASA's low Figure 1: Wallops Island Launch Sites cost orbital projects. As a result of these programmatic responsibilities, Wallops' own flight projects are the largest customers of the Wallops Test Range. The Test Range continues to support a large array of both Wallops and other NASA programs, ranging from small, meteorological-class rockets and balloons, to lower-end expendable launch vehicle missions. Inclusive are a wide array of carriers which support science and technology missions including drop models, unpiloted aerial vehicles (UAVs), and next-generation rocket designs. Wallops Test Range Description The Wallops Test Range consists of an integrated launch range and research airport. The two elements are located approximately five miles Figure 2: Wallops Flight Facility Main Base apart, with the inland airport and the coastal (including Research Airport) Bruce E. Underwood 2 13th AIAA/USU Conference on Small Satellites The Test Range consists of a variety of facilities non-NASA organizations. Various DoD including a Range Control Center, an organizations regularly use Wallops for Aeronautical Control Center, aircraft hangars, technology research and development missions, blockhouses, spacecraft processing, and hazardous target launches, aircraft and UAV testing, and processing facilities. NASA maintains sensor development operations. Three separate approximately a dozen suborbital launchers. Navy organizations reside at Wallops, partially as a result of their regular need for Wallops range capabilities. The range manages a large array of instrumentation equipment including tracking and Wallops also supports commercial launch vehicle surveillance radars, telemetry, UHF command and aircraft operations. In addition to government systems, high-speed tracking photography, and a Pegasus missions, five commercial missions have variety of communications capabilities. The been conducted by Wallops, including one mobile Wallops Weather Office has a full suite of mission conducted from the Canary Islands. resources necessary to support range and project Wallops also provided range support for the forecasting requirements. launch of the EER Systems Conestoga launch vehicle. Wallops maintains a full cadre of personnel necessary to support launch operations including This support for external customers is welcomed project managers, safety officials, and by Wallops, as it increases the facility's relevance instrumentation operators. It also has a staff of to other organizations, and provides reimbursable discipline engineers who provide technology revenue that is used to help maintain the range. improvements and other specialized services. The Today, nearly half of the range's efforts are in Test Range shares other Wallops capabilities, support of non-NASA projects for a large number such as a fabrication facility, an environmental of different customers. test laboratory, a chemical analysis laboratory, and a calibration laboratory with other programs. In July 1997, Wallops support of these external Wallops also provides a full slate of institutional customers, in addition to its core NASA services such as security and fire protection. customers, was formally recognized by NASA Wallops shares personnel among its flight projects Administrator Daniel Goldin when he endorsed and Test Range wherever possible to make the the Wallops Mission 2000 strategic plan. This most effective use of the available resources. plan defines the Wallops Flight Facility as "a national resource for providing low-cost Several of the Wallops flight programs require the integration, launch, and operation of suborbital ability to conduct operations worldwide in order and small orbital payloads." It also defined the to study scientific phenomena unique to a Wallops mission to include "enabling frequent particular location. In support of this need, the flight opportunities for a diverse customer base." Wallops Test Range maintains a transportable set Key strategies of the plan include the formation of of resources necessary to satisfy user needs and partnerships with industry, academia, and resident safety requirements. These transportable systems, Navy organizations to foster education, which include launchers, radar, telemetry, commercial development of space, and use of command transmitters, and a mobile Range Wallops capabilities by other potential customers. Control Center, are an integral part of Wallops' Test Range resources and are regularly used to support both suborbital and orbital flight projects. The Virginia Commercial Space Flight Authority In the early 1990's, NASA, local and state Support to Non-NASA Projects government, university, and