NASA Armstrong Celebrates 80 Years of Flight Innovation

NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, is marking 80 years of flight innovation, tracing its origins to September 30, 1946, when five NACA engineers arrived at Muroc Army Airfield to achieve the first supersonic flight. Over its history, the facility has supported missions including space shuttle landings and SR-71 flights.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman recently named Armstrong the agency’s Center of Excellence for Flight Test and Aircraft Operations. To support Artemis missions and lunar returns, the center utilizes research aircraft such as a 737 for astronaut suit testing, a G-III for Artemis II heat-shield data collection, and an F/A-18 for Space Launch System autopilot testing.

Additionally, the X-59 supersonic X-plane is undergoing testing and flights at Armstrong to demonstrate quiet supersonic flight over U.S. communities. Armstrong also uses aircraft like the ER-2, C-20A, and Gulfstream G-III/IV/V to collect data on wildfires, glacier melt, pollution, and minerals, while collaborating with other government agencies, industry, and academia to advance aviation safety, autonomy, and efficiency.