One of Huntsville’s historic Apollo engine test stands is coming back to life under an agreement between NASA and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin space company.
NASA announced Wednesday it has signed an agreement to let Blue Origin use Marshall Test Stand 4670 to test its BE-3U and BE-4 rocket engines. The BE-4 has been selected to power United Launch Alliance’s new Vulcan rocket and Blue’s New Glenn rocket.
Both rockets are being built to power new boosters for America’s three key space markets: NASA, commercial companies like ULA and national security customers such as the Air Force.
Test Stand 4670 is a 300-foot-tall, vertical stand that was “the backbone for Saturn V propulsion testing for the Apollo program,” NASA said. It was later modified to test the space shuttle’s external tank and main engines. The stand has been dormant since 1998.
“We’re excited to welcome Blue Origin to our growing universe of commercial partners,” Marshall Center Director Jody Singer said in a statement.
“I’m thrilled about this partnership with NASA…,” Blue Origin CEO Bob Smith said. “Through this agreement, we’ll provide for the refurbishment, restoration and modernization of this piece of American history – and bring the sounds of rocket engines firing back to Huntsville.”
Under the agreement, Blue Origin will pay for any investments it makes in preparing the test stand for use and any direct costs to NASA of Blue Origin’s use. That makes the most of taxpayers’ investment in building the stand, NASA said.
Blue Origin is building a factory in Huntsville’s Cummings Research Park to build the BE-4 engine. ULA will build the new Vulcan rocket at is massive assembly factory on the Tennessee River in nearby Decatur, Ala.