NASA Opens First Major New Wind Tunnel at Langley in Over 40 Years

NASA on Friday opened a new wind tunnel at its Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, marking what the agency called its first major new wind tunnel in more than 40 years. The Flight Dynamics Research Facility, or FDRF, was formally opened in a ribbon-cutting ceremony, according to a NASA news release issued July 31.

The new facility is designed to test the safety and performance of future aircraft, rockets and space exploration vehicles before they fly. NASA said it will support X-plane development, drone and other uncrewed vehicle research, and testing tied to spacecraft entry, descent and landing. The tunnel can handle both free-flight and mounted tests of scale models, from aircraft designs to reentry capsules.

The building covers 25,000 square feet and includes a test chamber 20 feet in diameter and 24 feet high. NASA said the facility’s top airspeed is 117 mph, or 172 feet per second — twice as fast as the older facilities it replaces. That higher speed will allow researchers to test heavier scale models in free flight and better simulate higher-altitude flight conditions. Airflow is generated by four 750-horsepower motors, each driving a 14-foot-diameter fan with eight carbon-fiber blades, a setup NASA said allows rapid and precise airspeed changes during tests.

NASA is presenting the FDRF as a major modernization of Langley’s testing infrastructure because it combines and improves on work previously spread across two much older wind tunnels: the 20-Foot Vertical Spin Tunnel and the 12-Foot Low-Speed Tunnel. Those facilities date to the late 1930s and early 1940s; the vertical spin tunnel was built in 1941. Wind tunnels let engineers study how vehicles behave before real-world flights, helping reduce risk in both aeronautics and space missions.

“The Flight Dynamics Research Facility is NASA’s first major new wind tunnel in more than 40 years and gives us a powerful new platform to test the ideas and technologies that will shape the future of aviation and exploration,” NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said in the agency’s release.

The project was delivered through a partnership with the U.S. General Services Administration, which manages federal buildings, as part of Langley’s 20-year campus revitalization plan. NASA said the FDRF is the fourth new building the GSA has delivered under that effort.

Dr. Trina Dyal, director of NASA Langley Research Center, said the opening “represents a significant advancement for NASA and for the nation.” By bringing modernized testing capabilities under one roof, she said, the new facility will support research aimed at keeping the United States at the forefront of aeronautics and exploration.