NASA to Build New White Sands Test Pad

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration announced Thursday it will break ground for a test launch pad at the U.S. Army’s White Sands Missile Range.

NASA said the pad will be used to test a launch abort system that will help ensure the safety of astronauts aboard the new Orion spacecraft.

Orion will be part of NASA’s Constellation Program, designed to carry astronauts to the International Space Station, the moon and beyond. Engineers will use the test results to help design Orion’s launch abort system.

The groundbreaking ceremony was scheduled for Wednesday, with the first of five planned abort tests to be performed at the test pad next September. Two of the tests will evaluate the performance of the launch abort system at ground level and three additional tests will evaluate its performance at different altitudes.

The White Sands Missile Range — formerly called the White Sands Proving Grounds — is located between Alamogordo and Las Cruces, N.M. The rocket range covers an area about three times the size of Rhode Island, making it the largest military installation in the United States.