Buckeye Reporter

“The future of aviation and space innovation will take place in Ohio.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – On February 26, 2024, Senators JD Vance (R-OH), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), and eight of their colleagues from Ohio’s U.S. House delegation called on the Department of Defense to locate the U.S. Space Force Space Training and Readiness Command’s Space Delta 12 mission at NASA Glenn’s Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky, Ohio. 

In a letter to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, and Chief of Space Operations General B. Chance Saltzman, the lawmakers write that the numerous space and national security industries and world class research universities in the state – along with existing U.S. Air Force and NASA bases and facilities – make Ohio ideally suited to host Space Force’s Delta 12 mission.

“Ohio is a space state. Our state is integral to the history of flight, and because of our manufacturing prowess, federal assets, world-class research institutions, and skilled workforce, the future of aviation and space innovation will take place in Ohio,” wrote the lawmakers. “The proximity of military and federal space-related missions in Ohio represents a unique opportunity to accelerate and grow the capabilities of the United States. The confluence of missions and technologies in Ohio is unmatched and must be considered as the Air Force and Space Force reorganize to meet the requirements of an evolving Great Power Competition.”

Space Force’s Delta 12 mission is responsible for testing and evaluating U.S. Space Force capabilities. NASA Glenn’s Neil Armstrong Test Facility has one-of-a-kind, world-class space simulation test facilities that will enhance Space Force’s operational effectiveness – making it the logical home for Delta 12. The Neil Armstrong Test Facility would provide Delta 12 with the ability to conduct testing in hypersonics, in-space propulsion, space environment simulation, and electric aircraft testing.

Original source can be found here.