Keith’s note: Employees at NASA Wallops Flight Facility under the Range Operations Contract II (ROC II) received the below email from contract management late Wednesday afternoon. Note: Charge codes, CUI information, emails etc. have been removed. Memo excerpt below.
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Keith’s Update: First NASA Goddard sends an internal email to staff saying “unlike previous large-scale Center reconfigurations, which occurred over a number of years, all planned moves will take place over the next several months and will be completed by March of 2026.” Then they put this thing out for the public minutes late that makes no mention of the accelerated timeframe as if they had planned this whole thing years ago. So I added a footnote 😉
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Keith’s note: this is the letter sent by NASA GSFC Associate Center Director to the local Union President regarding cessation of union activities at GSFC. NASA Wallops employees got an identical letter. The wording matches a letter that was sent by the JSC Center Director. More below.
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Keith’s note: According to a press release from AFGE, AFL-CIO Union: “The Union representing Federal employees at the NASA Wallops Flight Facility is calling on Congressional leaders, local government officials, economic stakeholders, and the public to take immediate action to stop the proposed closure of the NASA Wallops Visitor Center (WVC) – a decision that, if enacted, would inflict irreparable harm on the community, the regional economy, and NASA’s public mission. “This closure is not just a bureaucratic reshuffling. It’s a devastating blow, delivered with precision, to a community that has loyally supported NASA for generations,” said one Union member. “The Visitor Center is not a luxury; it’s a vital link between space exploration and the American public, particularly in rural regions like ours where opportunity and visibility are already scarce.” (Full release below)
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Keith’s update: This morning AFGE members at Wallops got the same notification that GESTA received regarding GSFC/WFF facilities. Keith’s note: There is already a plan to more or less abandon half of Goddard’s buildings. Proposals are due by 1 September on the plan to shut down (maybe commercialize) all of the GSFC buildings West of Goddard Road – which includes Bldg 1 (where the cafeteria/exchange is). Now NASA is closing the place where people eat lunch and putting a halt to the public’s ability to visit GSFC and WFF. This is really starting to get petty, Sean. People are already demoralized. The following NASA Goddard/Wallops message was re-forwarded tonight by GESTA: “Colleagues, GESTA has just received the following notification from management. We believe all GESTA members, and in fact all Goddard employees, union or not, should be aware of this immediately. Original notice from GSFC management is as follows: This is formal notice regarding several upcoming facility closures at Goddard and Wallops effective October 1, 2025. Management has assessed these closures and is providing this notice to support timely and transparent communication. GESTA wants to ensure you are informed of happenings around Center so that you can help assess the impacts of such closure implementations as soon as possible.”:
LAUNCH ALERT ? We're launching another sounding rocket tomorrow at 8 am ET carrying 40 student experiments. For those in the Delmarva region, weather permitting, you could catch a glimpse of the Terrier Improved Orion in the sky. ? Tune in tomorrow: https://t.co/KjQlf85AZM pic.twitter.com/9YWN3dPZJy — NASA Wallops (@NASA_Wallops) June 23, 2021 Keith’s note: This tweet was posted around 1:00 pm EDT on 23 June. The launch is scheduled for the […]
Media Accreditation Open for Minotaur I Rocket Launch June 15 from NASA Wallops “Media must apply for accreditation by 4 p.m. Friday, May 28, by sending a request to Keith Koehler at …” Keith’s note: Yesterday I stumbled across a media advisory for media accreditation from NASA Wallops for a launch via someone’s Facebook page. It is posted by NASA here: Media Accreditation Open for Minotaur I Rocket Launch June […]
Rocket Lab Opens Launch Complex 2, Confirms U.S. Air Force Payload as First Electron Mission from U.S. Soil, RocketLab “Rocket Lab, the global leader in small satellite launch, has today officially opened Launch Complex 2, the company’s first U.S. launch site, and confirmed the inaugural mission from the site will be a dedicated flight for the U.S. Air Force. Located at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport on Wallops Island, Virginia, Rocket […]
Wallops is excited and proud to welcome @RocketLab to the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport. Have a question? Use #AskAboutLC2 or watch live: https://t.co/YsAyesMVkz — NASA Wallops (@NASA_Wallops) October 17, 2018 Keith’s note: Great commercial space news. RocketLab is coming to NASA Wallops in Virginia to do commercial space launches. You’d think that all parties involved would want as much media present as possible – especially Virginia-based space media (like NASAWatch). Guess […]
Potential Reduction At Wallops Flight Facility, WBOC “Goddard Space Flight Center said they are evaluating opportunities to streamline and improve the relationship between the center’s in Greenbelt, Maryland and Wallops Island. Goddard told WBOC today in a statement, “The importance of a synergistic relationship between the two campuses is vital to the future of each campus and Goddard Space Flight Center as a whole.” Bale is disappointed that Goddard is […]
