infrastructure
NASA Opened Its First Major New Wind Tunnel in Four Decades
Langley's Flight Dynamics Research Facility brings free-flight and mounted model testing under one modern roof.
Summary
Langley's Flight Dynamics Research Facility brings free-flight and mounted model testing under one modern roof.
NASA opened the Flight Dynamics Research Facility at Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, on July 31. The 25,000-square-foot facility includes a 20-foot chamber, four 750-horsepower motors and air speeds up to 117 mph, about twice the capability of the tunnel it replaces. NASA says it will support aircraft, drones, rockets and returning space-capsule models; those are planned research uses, not completed test results.
Why it matters
Langley's Flight Dynamics Research Facility brings free-flight and mounted model testing under one modern roof.
Limits and context
- NASA says it will support aircraft, drones, rockets and returning space-capsule models; those are planned research uses, not completed test results.
Key claims
Langley's Flight Dynamics Research Facility brings free-flight and mounted model testing under one modern roof.
Qualification: NASA says it will support aircraft, drones, rockets and returning space-capsule models; those are planned research uses, not completed test results.
Evidence: source-2026-08-01-014
Sources
- NASA: Flight Dynamics Research Facility opensNASA · official announcement
Corrections
No corrections have been recorded for this story.