The
Virginia General Assembly created the Virginia Commercial Space Flight Authority in 1995 to promote the development of the
commercial space flight industry, economic development, aerospace research, and
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education throughout the Commonwealth. Initially partnered with
Old Dominion University, which helped develop the organization, longtime professor Dr. Billie M. Reed was installed as the Executive Director of the organization. Prior to his time as a professor, he retired from the
United States Navy after twenty years of service. In 1997, Virginia Space entered into a Reimbursable Space Act Agreement with
the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), which provided for permitted use of land on
NASA Wallops Island. Virginia Space also applied for and was granted a
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) license to launch to orbit. The Wallops Island location was first sanctioned in 1945 by NASA's predecessor, the
National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, for spaceflight. With these foundations in place, the
Virginia Space Flight Center was founded, located on the southern portion of NASA Wallops Island. In present-day, the facility is approved for launch azimuths from 38° to 60°, making it an ideal location from which to launch to the
International Space Station (ISS). By the end of 2003,
Governor Mark Warner and
Governor Robert L. Ehrlich, respectively of Virginia and Maryland, partnered to establish the
Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS), succeeding the Virginia Space Flight Center. This was done, in part, to help develop the region's presence for space flight and collaboration with the local universities. In 2007, NASA selected the Virginia-based
Orbital Sciences Corporation to participate in the
Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program, followed by a
Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) contract to build and demonstrate a new rocket,
Antares, to resupply the
International Space Station (ISS). This project was taken over by Orbital's successor company
Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems. The CRS contract authorized eight missions from 2012 to 2015 carrying approximately 20,000 kg of cargo to the ISS, as well as disposal of waste, from the
MARS Pad-0A launchpad. In March 2012, it was announced that Dr. Reed was going to retire from his role at Virginia Space, with Dale Nash, a former executive officer at
Alaska Aerospace Corporation, set as his immediate successor. On MARS Pad-0B, Virginia Space made modifications and upgrades to launch the NASA
Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) mission to the Moon in mid-2013 on a new Orbital Sciences
Minotaur V launch vehicle. Also in mid-2013, the
United States Air Force launched ORS-3 from MARS Pad 0B. In October 2018, VCSFA entered into an agreement with the New Zealand-based
Rocket Lab to build a new pad for their
Electron rocket. This was followed in 2021 by announcing their
Neutron rocket will also be set to launch from the MARS facility. With their main launchpad located in the
Māhia Peninsula of
New Zealand, Rocket Lab refers to their MARS location as "Launch Complex 2". In 2021,
Virginia Governor Ralph Northam announced the selection of
Major General Roosevelt "Ted" Mercer (Retired) as the new Executive Director of Virginia Space, succeeding Dale Nash, who previously announced his retirement after working in that position since 2012. General Mercer took office in August 2021. == Facilities ==