On behalf of all the men and women at NASA Wallops, I want to express my heartfelt thanks to the entire Eastern Shore community for your incredible show of support during the government shutdown. Over the past several weeks, the outpouring of generosity from businesses, churches, friends, family, and neighbors sustained our workforce during the furlough. You lifted us up in our time of need, and for that, we are deeply appreciative and forever thankful.
While some of our missions continued during the shutdown – such as preparations for the next Antares launch, sounding rocket launches in Norway and balloon operations in Antarctica – many more activities were stalled. While we continue to assess mission and schedule impacts, please know that despite the shutdown, all our programs remain healthy. We’re looking forward to two Antares launches this year, the first planned in April. Rocket Lab is working hard toward its first rocket launch, likely in late 2019. We also have a whole host of Defense Department customers we’re supporting both in the air and in space launch operations. Our aircraft, sounding rocket, and balloons missions are as busy as ever. While our challenge now is fitting a year’s worth of work into 11 months, know that we’re back and we’re charging ahead with a full plate in 2019.
Overall, I’d say this experience verified that Wallops has incredible resilience in our diverse set of missions and partners. And without a doubt, it showed us that our strongest partner is you. Again, I cannot thank you enough for your generosity over the past few weeks and your enduring support for what we do. We are honored and privileged to live and work in this amazing Eastern Shore community. Happy New Year!
Dave Pierce, Acting Director
NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility
