Wallops Island

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Wallops Island

Established in 1945 under NASA's predecessor, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), Wallops Flight Facility -- one of the oldest launch sites in the world -- is located on the Virginia Eastern Shore. Wallops' permanent facilities support NASA's Sounding Rocket and Balloon Programs. The Wallops restricted area (R-6604) connects Wallops and the Mid-Atlantic Test Range warning area. An extended area can be coordinated with governing agencies to meet specific mission requirements. Wallops offers a wide array of launch vehicle trajectory options. In general, it can accommodate launch azimuths between 90 and 160 degrees depending on impact ranges. For most orbital vehicles, this translates into orbital inclinations between 38 and approximately 60 degrees. Trajectory options outside of these launch azimuths, including polar and sun-synchronous orbits, can be achieved by in-flight azimuth maneuvers.

Wallops has multiple facilities for hazardous material storage.

Liquid storage Facilities are available for the temporary storage of hazardous liquids, such as propellants and purging gasses.
Rocket motors - Above-ground and earthen-covered storage magazines on Wallops Main Base store Class 1.3 and 1.4 explosives.
Facilities also are available for the nondestructive testing of ordnance and rocket motors. On Wallops Island, there are two rocket motor storage facilities -- one for Class 1.1 rocket motor storage and an above-ground storage facility on the north end for the storage of all classes of rocket motors.

The Wallops launch range includes six launch pads, three blockhouses for launch control and assembly buildings that support the preparation and launching of suborbital and orbital launch systems. The launch pads and blockhouses typically are connected by various combinations of multi-pair 12-gauge and/or 16-gauge shielded and twisted pair cables, as well as fiber optic cables. User-provided launch systems can be accommodated. In addition to the fixed launch sites, Wallops can support airborne launches. STEP4 and ORBCOM1 rockets launched by a commercial client from a custom-fitted Lockheed L1011 have been supported by Wallops.

1-meter resolution Digital Orthoquad [DOQ] Imagery	Ground Truth	Pad Number Launcher Name Description
		Pad 0A Commercial Multi-level Conestoga launch complex for commercial ELVs
		Pad 1 50K Launcher Rated as a 50,000-pound maximum design load launcher. Movable environmental shelter 45-foot, 6-inch overall boom length 50K launcher with base ring for the ARIES sounding rocket mounted under the rail
		Pad 2 Atlantic Research Corporation (ARC) Launcher Rated as a 20,000-pound maximum design load launcher Movable environmental shelter 38-foot overall boom length
		Pad 2 South Astro Met Launcher (AML) Rated as a 4,000-pound maximum design load launcher Twin boom to accommodate single- and multi-stage vehicles 18-foot, 8-inch overall boom length AML twin-boom launcher with a rail-mounted for the single-stage ozonesonde rocket
		Pad 2 North Astro Met Launcher (AML) Rated as a 4,000-pound maximum design load launcher Twin boom to accommodate single- and multi-stage vehicles 18-foot, 8-inch overall boom length AML twin-boom launcher with two rails for Superloki rocket mounted on the left boom
		Pad 2 Improved High Altitude Diagnostic (HAD) Launcher Rated as a 7,500-pound maximum design load launcher 31-foot overall boom length
		Pad 3A Scout MK II Launcher Scout class launcher with environmental shelter
		Pad 3B 20K Launcher Rated as a 20,000-pound maximum design load launcher Movable environmental shelter 20K launcher with the rail-mounted environmental shelter pulled away. A launcher ring for the ARIES sound rocket is mounted on the launcher
		Pad 4 Tubular Launcher Rated as a 20,000-pound maximum design load launcher 40-foot overall boom length
		Pad 5 Currently supporting U.S. Navy VANDAL Program