Armstrong Flight Research Center
NASA’s primary center for high-risk, atmospheric flight research and test projects, with access to 301,000 acres of remote land, year-round flying weather, and the Bell X-1 Supersonic Corridor.
Location
Edwards, California
Founded
1946
People
1000
Director(Acting)
Troy A. Asher
Advancing Flight Research and Innovation
In 2025, NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, advanced work across aeronautics, Earth science, exploration technologies, and emerging aviation systems, reinforcing its role as one of the agency’s primary test sites for aeronautics research.
Read Our Year in Review about Advancing Flight Research and Innovation
Armstrong News
NASA Invites Media to Learn About Upcoming X-59 Test Flights
NASA Armstrong to Host Partnership Days April 15-16
NASA Armstrong Director Brad Flick to Retire After 40 Years of Service
NASA, OPM Launch NASA Force to Recruit Top Talent for US Space…
Meet Our People
NASA Armstrong's in-house knowledge – research and engineering; aircraft modification, maintenance, and operations; project and institutional management, etc. – drives the airworthiness and flight safety decisions to execute NASA’s mission.
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armstrong Leadership
Troy Asher
Center Director (Acting)
James Eastman
Associate Director for Mission Support (Acting)
Eddie Zavala
Director for Programs and Projects
Shawn Kern
Director for Flight Operations (Acting)
Steven Jensen
Director for Research and Engineering
Research Focus Areas
Armstrong plays a pivotal role across all aspects of the agency’s missions.
Capabilities & Facilities
Armstrong has the facilities and requisite expertise to conceive, design, analyze, fabricate, integrate, maintain, and conduct disciplinary research, flight research and flight test on modified or unique research vehicles and systems. Our strength is in integration of complex developmental systems.
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Partnerships
Providing access to a world-class work force and flight environment as well as unrivaled research facilities.
Technology Development
Crafting creative solutions that advance emerging technologies from concept development and experiment formulation to final testing.
Learning Resources
STEM resources that connect educators, students, parents and caregivers to the inspiring work at NASA.
History
Armstrong's history dates back to 1946
NASA Armstrong is chartered to research, develop, verify, and transfer advanced aeronautics, space, and related technologies, and conduct atmospheric Earth and space science flight operations. The center is named in honor of Neil A. Armstrong, a former research test pilot at the center and the first man to step on the moon during the historic Apollo 11 mission in 1969.
Learn More About Our History about Armstrong's history dates back to 1946
Media Resources
Contacts, program information, and multimedia guidelines for media working on stories.
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Resources to Learn More about Armstrong
Informing the public and media about NASA’s missions and promoting Armstrong’s mission to advance technology and science through flight.
X-Press Newsletter
A monthly publication, available in pdf format, reports on the center's research.
Fact Sheets
Downloadable PDFs about the aircraft, flight test and research projects, facilities, people, and history of NASA Armstrong.
Request a NASA Speaker
Each year, NASA speakers provide hundreds of presentations to thousands of people.
Virtual Tour
Virtually explore the capabilities and facilities that make Armstrong NASA's primary center for high-risk, atmospheric flight research and test projects.
