By Linda Cicoira
NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility is looking to increase use on both the north and south ends of Wallops Island, the agency’s website noted this week.
It is considering moving its suborbital programs from about 150 acres on the south side of Wallops Island to make room for an expansion of its launch capabilities. NASA began market research to assess opportunities from U.S. domestic entities for the potential development of additional launch facilities. The study will include estimated launch frequency, the number of on-site personnel needed, safety and security measures, and launch events, vehicle class, and other operational details that would determine compatibility.
Suborbital programs would be relocated to Launch Area 3 to accommodate the change. NASA would only consider potential users “aligned with agency goals to expand orbital launch capacity while ensuring environmental protection and public safety.” Land leased by the Virginia Space Authority is not being considered, the post noted.
On the north end of Wallops Island, the facility is also seeking information from domestic companies interested in establishing payload processing on about 15 acres, so the agency can complete strategic planning to increase orbital launches to support high-volume mega-constellation mission needs.
NASA intends to retain ownership of the land and may lease parcels for development, operation, and maintenance of launch infrastructure. Eligible respondents include U.S. federal and state governmental entities and U.S. Commercial Providers as defined in the Space Commerce Act. All users must comply with NASA policies related to access, security, and facility utilization.
The facility provides access to NASA’s small-, medium-, and intermediate-class launch capabilities and is administratively assigned as a subset of the Kennedy Space Center.
The deadline to submit plans is Oct. 30, 2026. Interested parties should contact Philip.H.Smith@nasa.gov
