White Sands Test Facility
White Sands Test Facility tests and analyzes potentially hazardous materials, components, and systems including Composite Pressure Systems, Critical Systems and Materials Flight Acceptance, Hypervelocity Impacts, Oxygen Systems, Propellants and Aerospace Fluids, and Propulsion Systems.
Location
Las Cruces, New Mexico
Founded
July 6, 1963
People
300+
site manager
Jason E Noble
Testing and Analysis Capabilities
With over 50 years of experience, White Sands Test Facility houses unique and comprehensive testing and analysis capabilities for evaluating material, component, and system behaviors in hazardous environments. Our experts routinely performed materials properties determination, materials compatibility and toxicity analyses, detonation studies, flight article outgassing characterization, systems analysis, orbital debris impact simulation testing, and propellant characterization.
Propulsion Systems
White Sands has been an integral part of every United States manned flight mission and supported many programs associated with the safe space exploration. With over half a century of experience, we lead the way in propulsion system testing.
Oxygen Systems
Specializing in the study of oxygen compatibility in space, aircraft, medical, and industrial applications, our engineering team has gained world renown expertise.
Composite Pressure Systems
Our engineers offer leading expertise in the testing, nondestructive evaluation (NDE), and analysis of composite material structures.
Supporting Capabilities
Our in-house capabilities support the safe and reliable use of materials including assessing material or component compatibility and use, developing test methods, understanding material-fluid interaction, and assessing hazards associated with a given materials use in hazardous environments.
Materials Testing
With over 50 years of experience in meeting the exacting specifications and high tolerances of space flight materials for components, our team members are experts in material identification and characterization, material improvement, acceptance testing, and failure analysis.
Machining and Fabrication
White Sands Test Facility's Machining and Fabrication craftsmen specialize in the prototype and production of parts used on the International Space Station, ground support equipment, and facility and test hardware
Calibration
Our calibration team supports mission critical testing for the International Space Station and other NASA space exploration efforts, and helps to safeguard the lives and equipment used in these high risk endeavors.
Visit White Sands
White Sands Test Facility is an access-controlled, hazardous testing facility and visitors must be approved before accessing the property. NASA policy for entry into our facility is contingent upon the visitor's consent to inspection of their person and the property in their possession or under their control. On arrival, visitors must check in at our forward guard gate where guards can give directions to specific areas and specific entry requirements. Approval may take up to 30 days so please plan appropriately.
Visiting WSTF Information about Visit White Sands
History
White Sands History
Established in 1963 to test propulsion systems for the Apollo spacecraft, White Sands Test Facility has supported every U.S. human space flight from Apollo to the Space Shuttle Program and the International Space Station. Because of our remote location and unique facilities, we can safely design, test, and operate hazardous systems.
Learn More about White Sands History
More NASA Centers
Explore NASA centers.
