Flight Dynamics Research Facility (FDRF) Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

The Flight Dynamics Research Facility (FDRF) at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, is NASA’s newest wind tunnel and the agency’s first wind tunnel built in more than 40 years. The 25,000 square foot facility replaces two legacy wind tunnels, delivering improved performance and reduced maintenance costs while advancing NASA’s aeronautics, exploration, and science missions. On Friday, July 31, 2026, hundreds gathered in NASA Langley’s Reid Conference Center for the facility’s ribbon cutting ceremony. NASA Langley Center Director Dr. Trina Marsh Dyal was joined by NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, senior leaders, government officials, industry partners, and Langley employees to celebrate the milestone. Following the ceremony, attendees toured the FDRF and other Langley facilities.

What is said in the film

Today is a proud moment for us as NASA Langley officially opens the Flight Dynamics Research Facility. This tunnel represents both a storied legacy and a soaring future. FDRF replaces two of our oldest wind tunnels, allowing us to advance research while being good stewards of taxpayer dollars. This is a machine that takes the form of the building and to my knowledge, it's only the third one in the world that's ever been built. as we went through it and and achieved the building portion of it, we were proud and we felt it was a majestic effort, bringing it to light and bringing it to life.

And now that we're cutting the ribbon and we get to see where it's going to take us the next 50 years, it's going to be proud and it's going to be majestic. And every time that I walk on this campus, I'm reminded not only of the great history here that takes place at this facility, but also the amazing and the groundbreaking work that's still being done today. This new Flight Dynamics Research Center is just the latest example of that. The FDRF will play a vital role in expanding humanity's reach all across our solar system, but its impact doesn't stop here. The FDRF will help also in shaping the next generation of aeronautics, and it will help to inspire the talent and spark the creativity and the ingenuity of our next generation of researchers, scientists, astronauts and innovators.

This is the fourth building and second research facility that we've built here at Langley for NASA. Our agency is so proud to support American dynamism in aeronautics and space exploration and discovery. GSA, for all of you, provides the machine to the mission of the American government, delivering facilities and systems and services that are the backbone of America. For over a century, Langley has led the world as the aeronautics research center of excellence. The work conducted here will support more X-planes autonomous aircraft, drones and vehicles across every speed regime.

And right here, this facility gives the Langley workforce and our partners across government, industry, academia a powerful new tool, a new contribution to what is the greatest adventure of all. A tool that honors the remarkable Langley legacy and will help usher in a very exciting new future. This facility will ensure that NASA Langley will continue to have the resources necessary to accomplish its critical work to move aircraft and spacecraft research ahead. I'm here today to tell you Virginia is for NASA lovers NASA has been at the forefront of some of the most amazing and speedy innovation of any entity that's part of the United States government, or, frankly, any entity anywhere in the world. this is a celebration, not just a ribbon cutting, a celebration of what's been done, but more importantly, it's a celebration of what can happen in NASA's very bright future.

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