New NASA Wind Tunnel Opens for Aircraft, Spacecraft Testing

The Flight Dynamics Research Facility is NASA’s first major new wind tunnel in more than 40 yearsIt merges two aging tunnels into one 25,000-square-foot buildingThe tunnel will handle aircraft, drone and spacecraft testingNASA has opened a new wind tunnel at its Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. A ribbon-cutting ceremony brought agency leadership, Virginia officials and the General Services Administration to the site of the Flight Dynamics Research Facility, NASA said Friday. Administrator Jared Isaacman, a 2026 Wash100 Award winner, called it the agency’s first major new wind tunnel in more than four decades. The new Flight Dynamics Research Facility replaces the 20-Foot Vertical Spin Tunnel and the 12-Foot Low-Speed Tunnel. The new Langley facility tunnel accommodates both free-flight and mounted testing of scale models built for atmospheric flight, from airplanes to capsules returning from orbit.