Rocket Lab Timelines

This page contains timelines of events related to the Rocket Laboratory’s history and a timeline of key tests at the facility.

Events Timeline

1944

• US Army Air Corps asks the NACA build a rocket facility.

1945

• Construction of Cells 11-14 in the summer of 1945.
• First engine tests conducted at Rocket Lab in September 1945.

1947

• Rocket researchers give talks at the 1947 NACA Inspection.

1948

• Hydrogen engine testing at Ohio State University and Aerojet.
• Laboratory hosts Fuels Conference  discussing high-energy fuels.
• Construction of Rocket Lab Cells 21-24.

1949

• Reorganization expands Rocket Section into a branch.
• Rocket testing presentations made at the 1949 NACA Inspection.

1950

• High Pressure Combustion Laboratory renamed the Rocket Laboratory.

1951

• NACA establishes a Special Subcommittee on Rocket Engines.

1952

• NACA approves increase in rocket resources and funding.

1954

• First liquid hydrogen-liquid oxygen engine test at the laboratory.
• Acquisition of hydrogen liquefier.

1955

• Exhaust scrubber added to Cell 22.

1957

• Soviet Union launches Sputnik.
• Lab hosts NACA Inspection and Flight Propulsion Conference.
• Rocket Engine Test Facility begins operation.
• First regeneratively-cooled hydrogen-fluorine engine run.

1958

• NACA leases land at Plum Brook to build the Rocket Systems Area.
• NASA is established, and the laboratory becomes Lewis Research Center.
• Saturn and Centaur rocket programs established.

1959

• Silverstein Committee recommends use of high-energy fuels in rockets.

1963

• First successful Atlas-Centaur launch in November 1963.

1964

• First Saturn launch with hydrogen-fueled stages.

1966

• Center reorganizes to increase aeronautics work.

1974

• NASA authorizes energy-related research efforts.

1981

• First space shuttle mission is launched.
• Facility renamed the Combustion Research Laboratory.

1984

• Space Station Freedom program officially begins.

1989

• Combustion Research Laboratories renamed Rocket Laboratories.
• Announcement of the Space Exploration Initiation.

1990

• NASA initiates the High-Speed Civil Transport program.
• Start of upgrades to Cells 11 and Cell 13.

1991

• Cold War ends with dissolution of the Soviet Union.

1993

• International Space Station development announced.
• Modifications to Cell 11.

1994

• NASA initiates the Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) program.

1996

• Rocket Laboratories renamed Research Combustion Laboratory.

1999

• Center is renamed the Glenn Research Center.

2000

• NASA begins removing unused structures.

2004

• NASA initiates Constellation Program.

2007

• Center announces master plan for campus.

2016

• Planning for Rocket Lab demolition begins.

2021

• Majority of Rocket Lab are demolished.

Testing Timeline

A non-comprehensive list of testing performed at the Rocket Laboratory and approximate dates.

1940s

1945

• Hydrogen peroxide film cooling (Cell 13).
• Special fuels testing for the Army Air Force (Cell 11).
• Aerojet jet-assisted-takeoff (JATO) engine (Cell 12).
• Hydrogen peroxide film cooling (Cell 14).

1946

• High-energy rocket propellants in 100-pound-thrust engine (Cell 11).
• Water film cooling (Cell 12).
• Nitric acid and aniline JATO rocket engine (Cell 13).
• 1000-pound-thrust liquid oxygen and gasoline engine (Cell 13).

1947

• Fuel rating tests with 500lb liquid-cooled transparent engine (Cell 11).
• Internal-film cooling of rocket nozzles (Cell 13).
• Injection and variable-volume combustion in rocket engines (Cell 13).
• Liquid diborane and liquid oxygen in 100-pound-thrust engine  (Cell 14).

1948

• Fluorine and hydrazine in 100-pound-thrust rocket engine (Cell 31).

1949

• Temperature survey of two parallel injector jets (Cell 11).
• Rocket engine film cooling (Cell 11).
• Combustion vibrations in liquid engines (Cell 12).
• Rocket combustion vibrations (Cell 13).
• Ignition of rocket propellants at simulated altitudes (Cell 14).
• Injection and combustion in rockets (Cell 21).
• High-energy rocket propellants (Cell 23).
• Starting of rocket engine in simulated altitude conditions (Cell 24B).

1950s

1950

• Combustion instability in an acid and heptane rocket (Cell 13).
• Ignition of rocket propellant at low temperatures (Cell 14).
• Rocket engine film cooling (Cell 14).
• Combustion vibrations in rocket engines (Cell 23).
• Internal film cooling for rocket engines  (Cell 31).
• High-energy rocket propellants (Cell 31).

1951

• Liquid fluorine and liquid diborane in 100-pound-thrust engine (Cell 14).
• 1000-pound-thrust rocket engine (Cell 23).
• Ignition delay with a small-scale rocket at simulated altitude (Cell 24B).

1952

• Screaming in a 100-pound-thrust rocket engine (Cell 13).
• Combustion oscillations in rocket engines (Cell 14).
• Screaming in rocket chamber (Cell 21B).
• Impinging jet injector spray studies (Cell 21).
• Ignition delays of alkyl thiophoshites with fuming nitric acids (Cell 24B).
• Engine starting with nitrogen and ammonia oxides (Cell 24).
• Liquid fluorine and liquid ammonia in a 100-pound-thrust engine (Cell 31).
• Disposal of rocket exhaust gases (Cell 31).

1953

• Fluorine and ammonia combination in a 1000-pound-thrust engine (Cell 14).
• Photographic investigation of combustion in a transparent engine (Cell 21).
• Photographic study of rotary screaming (Cell 23B).

1954

• Injection studies with a 200-pound-thrust engine (Cell 13).
• Regenerative cooling in a 5000-pound-thrust liquid oxygen and JP-4 engine (Cell 22).
• Liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen in a 5000-pound-thrust engine (Cell 22).

1955

• JP-4 fuel with FLOX mixtures in a 1000-pound-thrust engine (Cell 14).
• Low temperature starting of 200-pound-thrust JP-4 and nitric acid engine (Cell 24B).
• Performance of FLOX and JP-4 in a 200-pound-thrust rocket engine (Cell 24).
• Chemical igniters for jet fuel and nitric acid rocket engines (Cell 24A).
• Ignition delay of furfuryl alcohol and butyl mercaptans (Cell 24B).
• Effects of combustion chamber variations on ignition delay (Cell 24B).

1956

• Liquid hydrogen and liquid fluorine propellant combination (Cell 11).
• Heat transfer at supersonic speeds (Cell 11).
• Screaming of gas propellants (Cell 12).
• Hydrocarbon fuels with fluorine (Cell 13).
• Screaming in rocket motor (Cell 13).
• Hydrocarbon fuel with FLOX in 1000-pound-thrust engine (Cell 14).
• Separated flow in Roe engine (Cell 14).
• Fluorine and ammonia in Roe engine (Cell 22).
• Jet fuel with FLOX propellant combination (Cell 22).
• Low temperature engine starting (Cell 24).
• Altitude performance of a JP-4 and liquid oxygen engine (Cell 21A).
• Hydrocarbon fuel with nitric acid (Cell 31).

1957

• Droplet size and screaming engine (Cell 12)
• Effect of injector size (Cell 13).
• Liquid oxygen injection sprays (Cell 14).
• Fluorine and ammonia propellant combination (Cell 22).
• Liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen propellant combination (Cell 22).
• JP-4 and liquid oxygen propellant combination (Cell 22).
• Liquid hydrogen and liquid fluorine propellant combination (Cell 22).
• Performance of a hydrogen and fluorine regeneratively-cooled engine (Cell 22).
• Hydrocarbon and liquid oxygen propellant combinations (Cell 22).
• Liquid oxygen with JP-4, and kerosene in a rocket engine (Cell 23).
• Altitude starting of a 1000-pound-thrust solid rocket (Cell 24B).
• Ignition lag of self-igniting fuel and nitric acid (Cell 24B).
• Liquid oxygen and heptane propellant combination (Cell 24).
• Geometry and screaming in rocket engine (Cell 24).

1958

• Liquid hydrogen and liquid fluorine propellant combination (Cell 11).
• Screaming in rocket engine (Cell 13).
• Screaming in rocket engine (Cell 14).
• Experimental performance of a hydrogen and fluorine rocket engine (Cell 22B).

1959

• Evaluation of rocket exhaust diffusers with various nozzles (Cell 23).
• Effect of temperatures on hydrogen peroxide thrusters  (Cell 24B).

1960s

1960

• Injectors for hydrogen and fluorine engines (Cell 22B).

1961

• Hydrogen and fluorine performance and ignition (Cell 21).

1963

• Design and cooling of a dump-cooled rocket (Cell 14).

1964

• Mercury-hydrogen high-temperature pebble bed heater (Cell 13).
• Injector flow tests with water (Cell 21B).
• Evaluation of ablative materials for storable-propellant rocket nozzles (Cell 21B).
• Hydrogen flow instability from large temperature increases (Cell 26).
• Self-pressurization of spherical liquid hydrogen tank (Cell 26).

1965

• Performance of bipropellant fractional-pound thrusters (Cell 24B).

1967

• Fuel deposits study (Cell 24).
• Performance of a water-electrolysis rocket (Cell 24B).

1968

• Development of improved throat inserts for ablative engines (Cell 21B).
• Evaluation of an oxidant-fuel-ratio-zoned injector (Cell 21B).
• Testing of a 1000lb thrust FLOX and propane ablative engine (Cell 22).

1969

• Tests of a combustor with air-atomizing fuel injection (Cell 11).
• Investigation of diffuser wall bleed and design to control inlet airflow (Cell 12).

1970s

1970

• Hydrazine rocket thruster (Cell 24B).

1971

• Performance of an asymmetric short annular diffuser (Cell 12).
• Characteristics of a welded rotor in a Lundell alternator (Cell 14).

1972

• Attitude-control thruster using hydrogen and oxygen (Cell 21B).

1974

• Hydrogen-Oxygen Magnetohydrodynamics Program (Cell 22)
• Centaur boost pump test (Cell 23).

1976

• Effect of hydroprocessing on jet fuel distillates (Cell 24C).

1977

• Effect of flameholder pressure drop on emissions (Cell 13).
• Lewis coal-fired, pressurized, fluidized-bed reactor test facility (Cell 13).
• Traction drive for a cryogenic boost pump (Cell 21).
• Burning Rate Rig (Cell 24).

1979

• Flametube studies for fuel control of fuel bound nitrogen (Cell 11).

1980s

1981

• Alternative fuel combustion characteristics in a gas turbine engine (Cell 23).

1983

• Combustor flame flashback study (Cell 11).
• Cold flow swirl combustor experiment (Cell 21).

1984

• Spray characteristics of an airblast atomizer (Cell 21).
• Single nozzle testing (Cell 21).

1985

• Hypersonic engine in a high heat flux environment (Cell 22).
• Alternative fuel combustion characteristics in a gas turbine engine (Cell 23).

1986

• Single nozzle testing (Cell 12).
• Hypersonic engine components in high-heat flux (Cell 22).

1987

• Catalytic ignition of hydrogen and oxygen propellants (Cell 21).

1989

• Carbon monoxide and oxygen ignition and combustion (Cell 21).
• Ignition and combustion of metallized propellants (Cell 21).

1990s

1990

• Cryogenic fuel jet mixing (Cell 13).

1991

• Hydrogen film coolant injection in a hydrogen and oxygen rocket (Cell 11).
• Comparison of flowfields in a hydrogen-oxygen rocket (Cell 11).
• Fuel-rich, catalytic reaction experiment (Cell 23).

1992

• Evaluation of oxide-coated iridium-rhenium chambers (Cell 11).
• Hydrogen-oxygen engine for combustion and nozzle studies (Cell 11).
• Heat transfer characteristics of a carbon monoxide and oxygen engine (Cell 21).
• Hypersonic engine experiments in a high heat flux environment (Cell 22).

1993

• Small rocket flowfield diagnostic chambers (Cell 11)x.
• Oxygen/RP-1/aluminum rocket heat transfer and combustion (Cell 21).
• Ceramic matrix composites thermal shock program (Cell 22).
• Thin film thermocouples (Cell 22).
• Pratt & Whitney transportation cooled seals experiment (Cell 22).

1994

• Spread Across Liquid Experiment pressure and ignition tests (Cell 22).
• Transpiration Cooled Ceramic Nozzles program (Cell 22).

1995

• Life testing of oxide-coated iridium/rhenium rockets (Cell 11).
• Performance comparison of two small rocket nozzles (Cell 11).
• Evaluation of the ignition process of carbon monoxide and oxygen (Cell 21).
• Ablative material testing for low-cost rocket engines (Cell 22).
• Hydrogen and liquid oxygen droplet measurements (Cell 32).

1996

• Electrolysis propulsion for spacecraft applications (Cell 11).
• Teledyne Ryan Ultra Lean Combustor (Cell 23).
• Coaxial injector for Laser Ignition Technology Program (Cell 32).
• Subscale gaseous hydrogen-oxygen rocket injector (Cell 32).

1997

• Rocket-in-a-Duct performance analysis (Cell 11).

2000s

2000

• Flow field of thruster having attached panel (Cell 22).
• Water electrolysis testing (Cell 24C).
• Evaluation of NASA GTX RBCC Flowpath (Cell 32).

2003

• Hydrogen-oxygen proton exchange membrane fuel cell stack (Cell 24C).

2004

• Low emission hydrogen combustors using lean direct injection (Cell 23).
• Actively-cooled ceramic matrix composite thrust cells.

2005

• Metallized gelled propellants in a pulse engine (Cell 21).
• GRCop-84 rocket thrust chambers (Cell 22).

2006

• Hydrogen fuel system design trades for high-altitude aircraft (Cell 21).

2008

• Liquid oxygen and methane glow plug igniter tests (Cell 21).

2009

• Integrated High Payoff Rocket Propulsion SiC Recession Model (Cell 22).
• 100-pound-thrust liquid oxygen and methane thruster (Cell 32).

2013

• Green Propellant Infusion Mission Thruster testing and plume diagnostics (Cell 11).
• Aerojet-Rocketdyne Manufacturing Innovation Project Injector (Cell 32).