A Northrop Grumman Antares rocket is seen as it rolls out to Pad-0A, Monday, April 15, 2019 at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. Northrop Grumman’s 11th contracted cargo resupply mission with NASA to the International Space Station will deliver about 7,600 pounds of science and research, crew supplies and vehicle hardware to the orbital laboratory and its crew. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Aerospace on the Shore

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center’s Wallops Flight Facility, located on Virginia’s Eastern Shore and directly on the doorstep of the LESMD Region, is NASA’s only owned and operated launch range. It is the home to a multi-user/multi-tenant facility ideal for supporting satellite command and control, military operations, scientific investigations, technology development, and commercial aerospace. Wallops Flight Facility is a regional and national asset, and one of only four major orbital launch ranges in the U.S. providing assured access to space, supporting NASA, DOD, OGAs, and commercial space. Its wide range of activities provide jobs in the trade professions as well as STEM related science and technology.   Its outreach and growing list of partnerships with LESMD technical schools, community colleges and universities link it to the regional education/training continuum.

37% of Wallops Complex Employees are from Maryland

Silhouette of Somerset County
14%
reside in Somerset County
Silhouette of Wicomico County
35%
reside in Wicomico County
Silhouette of Worcester County
48%
reside in Worcester County

What happens on Wallops Island?

Sounding Rockets
Suborbital science rockets from worldwide launch sites

Scientific Balloons
Upper atmosphere science missions from worldwide sites

Airborne Science
Earth Science research using piloted and unmanned aircraft

Special Projects
Small satellite development and operations
Hybrid flight projects that leverage the facility’s unique capabilities

Research Range and On-Orbit Operations
Launch range supporting rocket/missile missions
Research airfield supporting aircraft/UAS operations and research
Mobile range enabling remote campaign missions
Satellite tracking of NASA spacecraft

Earth Science Research
Precipitation, coastal processes, and ice sheet research

STEM Education Activities
Hands-on flight projects for students and researcher training

Wallops Island Aerospace Cluster