Jump to content

Update on NASA Wallops Aircraft and Airfield Operations


Recommended Posts

  • Publishers
Posted

The NASA Aircraft Management Advisory Board (AMAB), which manages the agency’s aircraft fleet, has decided to relocate the agency’s P-3 aircraft at Wallops to Langley Research Center. The decision is part of a long-running, NASA-wide aircraft enterprise-management activity to consolidate the aircraft fleet where feasible and achieve greater operational efficiencies while reducing our infrastructure footprint.

We all recognize this is a tough decision impacting a stellar, mission-focused team that has achieved so much over the years. I myself started my career in the Wallops Aircraft Office some 38 years ago, and my time there was foundational for all I’ve done in my career. My top priority is to work with the Aircraft Office team on a transition plan, and importantly, to carry out an effective and safe transition of the aircraft to NASA Langley, and to ensure the long term sustainability of NASA’s P-3 capability in support of the airborne science community. The Wallops aircraft office transition may take 18 to 24 months or more to accomplish. A specialized team is forming to ensure a smooth transition, and in the meantime, we continue to support airborne science from the facility.

With NASA’s flying mission at Wallops relocating to Langley, we recognize that the hangars and airfield at Wallops are true regional assets with great potential. NASA will issue a request for information (RFI) to identify potential customers/interest in assuming responsibility for Wallops’ airfield operations. It’s in the best interest of NASA and the region to explore other uses and opportunities for the Wallops airfield, and this RFI will help NASA evaluate future options. There is no timeline for the RFI at this time – we will provide updates as more information becomes available. What we do know – and are fully committed to – is ensuring the airfield remains an important resource for continued use by our customers, such as the U.S. Navy’s Fleet Force Command Field Carrier Landing Practice program. We’ve supported Navy flight operations at Wallops for more than 10 years and that support continues.

I want to assure everyone that Wallops’ future is bright and secure – the facility has a diverse mission set of orbital and suborbital operations and a whole host of government and commercial customers expanding operations on-site. We expect Wallops’ launch cadence to increase to upward of 50 launches per year by 2030 as the facility takes on a growing portfolio of hypersonics work as well as support to commercial spaceflight.

Without a doubt, the Wallops Aircraft Team is the best in the agency. They’ve had a massively successful run of operations recently with the ARCSIX missions in Greenland to supporting student research flights on both coasts and cargo transport missions all over the world to places such as Antarctica and India. I am committed to working with every member of the team on a way forward as we transition our flight operations and seek new opportunities.

We will continue to communicate with you and provide information on the transition plans as they become available.

All the best,

Dave

David L. Pierce
Wallops Director

View the full article

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Similar Topics

    • By NASA
      A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus XL spacecraft is launched on NASA’s Northrop Grumman Commercial Resupply Services 23 mission to the International Space Station on Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025.Credit: NASA NASA is sending more science, technology demonstrations, and crew supplies to the International Space Station following the successful launch of the agency’s Northrop Grumman Commercial Resupply Services 23 mission, or Northrop Grumman CRS-23.
      The company’s Cygnus XL spacecraft, carrying more than 11,000 pounds of cargo to the orbiting laboratory, lifted off at 6:11 p.m. EDT Sunday on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. This mission is the first flight of the larger, more cargo-capable version of the solar-powered spacecraft. 
      Cygnus XL is scheduled to be captured at 6:35 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 17, by the Canadarm2 robotic arm, which NASA astronaut Jonny Kim will operate with assistance from NASA astronaut Zena Cardman. Following capture, the spacecraft will be installed to the Unity module’s Earth-facing port for cargo unloading.
      The resupply mission is carrying dozens of research experiments that will be conducted during Expedition 73, including materials to produce semiconductor crystals in space and equipment to develop improvements for cryogenic fuel tanks. The spacecraft also will deliver a specialized UV light system to prevent the growth of microbe communities that form in water systems and supplies to produce pharmaceutical crystals that could treat cancer and other diseases.
      These are just a sample of the hundreds of scientific investigations conducted aboard the station in the areas of biology and biotechnology, Earth and space science, physical sciences, as well as technology development and demonstrations. For nearly 25 years, NASA has supported a continuous U.S. human presence aboard the orbiting laboratory, where astronauts have learned to live and work in space for extended periods of time. The space station is a springboard for developing a low Earth economy and NASA’s next great leaps in exploration, including Artemis missions to the Moon and American astronaut missions to Mars.
      NASA’s arrival, capture, and installation coverage are as follows (all times Eastern and subject to change based on real-time operations):
      Wednesday, Sept. 17
      5 a.m. – Arrival coverage begins on NASA+, Amazon Prime, and more.
      6:35 a.m. – Capture of Cygnus XL with the space station’s robotic arm.
      8 a.m. – Installation coverage begins on NASA+, Amazon Prime, and more.
      All coverage times are estimates and could be adjusted based on operations after launch. Follow the space station blog for the most up-to-date information.
      Cygnus XL is scheduled to remain at the orbiting laboratory until March 2026, before it departs and disposes of several thousand pounds of trash through its re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere, where it will harmlessly burn up. The spacecraft is named the S.S. William “Willie” C. McCool, in honor of the NASA astronaut who perished in 2003 during the space shuttle Columbia accident.
      Learn more about this NASA commercial resupply mission at:
      https://www.nasa.gov/mission/nasas-northrop-grumman-crs-23/
      -end-
      Josh Finch / Jimi Russell
      Headquarters, Washington
      202-358-1100
      joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov / james.j.russell@nasa.gov
      Steven Siceloff
      Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
      321-876-2468
      steven.p.siceloff@nasa.gov
      Sandra Jones / Joseph Zakrzewski
      Johnson Space Center, Houston
      281-483-5111
      sandra.p.jones@nasa.gov / joseph.a.zakrzewski@nasa.gov
      Share
      Details
      Last Updated Sep 14, 2025 LocationNASA Headquarters Related Terms
      International Space Station (ISS) Commercial Resupply ISS Research Johnson Space Center Northrop Grumman Commercial Resupply View the full article
    • By NASA
      NASA’s Northrop Grumman Commercial Resupply Services 23 Rendezvous and Capture
    • By Amazing Space
      NASA / SPACEX CRS-23 ISS RESUPPLY LAUNCH LIVE
    • By Amazing Space
      Live Video from the International Space Station (Seen From The NASA ISS Live Stream)
    • By NASA
      Credit: NASA NASA has selected Troy Sierra JV, LLC of Huntsville, Alabama, to provide engineering, research, and scientific support at the agency’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland.  
      The Test Facility Operations, Maintenance, and Engineering Services III contract is a cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract with a maximum potential value of approximately $388.3 million. The performance period begins Jan. 1, 2026, with a three-year base period followed by a two-year option, and a potential six-month extension through June 2031.
      This contract will provide and manage the engineering, technical, manufacturing, development, operations, maintenance, inspection, and certification support services needed to conduct aerospace testing in NASA Glenn’s facilities and laboratories.
      For information about NASA and other agency programs, visit:
      https://www.nasa.gov
      -end-
      Tiernan Doyle
      Headquarters, Washington
      202-358-1600
      tiernan.doyle@nasa.gov
      Jan Wittry
      Glenn Research Center, Cleveland
      216-433-5466
      jan.m.wittry-1@nasa.gov
      Share
      Details
      Last Updated Sep 12, 2025 LocationNASA Headquarters Related Terms
      Glenn Research Center View the full article
  • Check out these Videos

×
×
  • Create New...