UAH Business of Space Conference highlights NASA – Blue Origin partnership; restored Apollo Test Stand celebrates 500th hot-fire test

By  Russ Nelson

In an era defined by ambitions to return to the Moon and push onward to Mars, a groundbreaking partnership between NASA and Blue Origin is demonstrating how collaboration between government and industry can strengthen America’s space capabilities and accelerate the growth of the commercial space economy. At the center of these efforts is the restoration and reuse of the Apollo-era Test Stand 4670 by Blue Origin at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) – a national treasure reborn for a new generation of exploration. The achievement was the focus of a “fireside chat” at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), part of The University of Alabama System, during the 2026 Business of Space Conference, hosted on the UAH campus March 1–3, by the UAH College of Business.

UAH serves as a natural hub for conversations shaping the future of space commerce, fostering the university’s unique association with federal, military and private-sector aerospace expertise and reinforcing its commitment to supporting the workforce, research and partnerships that power the nation’s goals in space.

The conference convened industry leaders, innovators, researchers and policymakers for two days of curated sessions focused on the rapidly evolving space economy and commercial space enterprise. Each year the event provides direct interaction between researchers and industry stakeholders, highlighting opportunities for students and faculty to engage with decision-makers driving national and global space initiatives.

The event brought together Nick Case formerly of MSFC’s Partnerships Office and David Helderman, director of engine test operations for Blue Origin in Cummings Research Park (CRP), to detail how an inactive test stand built for testing the Saturn V is once again shaking the Tennessee Valley with the thunderous vibration of rocket engines.

“The discussion really starts on taking a dormant Apollo-era facility and revitalizing it, back to a proud national asset, to push the country forward in space exploration,” Case explained. “This is what happens when industry and government can truly collaborate.”

Originally constructed in 1965, Test Stand 4670 supported propulsion testing for the Saturn V rocket that powered Apollo missions to the Moon. It was later modified for Space Shuttle and other propulsion systems before becoming inactive in 1998. As NASA consolidated certain propulsion testing capabilities elsewhere, the towering 300-foot structure sat unused – a powerful reminder of Huntsville’s past – but one that could still play a role in future leaps for humanity.

For Case, who spent years working beneath the shadow of the stand, watching it slowly deteriorate was difficult. “Every day, it kind of broke my heart, because it’s so capable and has so much history. It was a proud asset. But the agency decided to consolidate our propulsion testing capabilities and to mothball that facility. It was sitting dormant, and essentially slowly rotting.”

That changed in 2017 when NASA posted a notice of availability to gauge commercial interest in the facility. Blue Origin, planning a $200 million, 350,000-square-feet facility in CRP and looking to expand testing capacity as it developed its BE-3U and BE-4 rocket engines, responded. What followed was a negotiation that would ultimately become a model for public-private collaboration.

A partnership built on trust and shared success

Helderman first met Case in November 2017 to explore the feasibility of using the historic stand. Initial discussions did not immediately result in an agreement. But shifting business opportunities prompted Blue Origin to revisit the proposal six months later. One question proved pivotal: “What does success look like to you?” Helderman said. “It couldn’t just work for NASA, it couldn’t just work for Blue Origin. It had to work for both of us.”

Case said NASA’s answer was straightforward: “They wanted someone to use the stand. They wanted it to be useful.”

From there, the teams worked through complex logistical, technical and contractual details. Test stands are not isolated structures; they rely on integrated systems, support infrastructure and coordination with ongoing NASA testing activities nearby. Building the framework for shared use required transparency and trust.

“It started with the relationship. And it started with a basis of trust,” Case noted. “We were very open with Blue. We said, ‘Here’s the starting point. Here’s the health of the stand.’”

The resulting Space Act Agreement structure allowed Blue Origin to invest in refurbishment, restoration and modernization, while NASA retained ownership of the facility. Blue Origin covers its investment costs and reimburses NASA for direct support, maximizing the value of taxpayer-funded infrastructure.

Reviving a National Treasure

Restoring the aging stand was no small undertaking. Corroded steel and outdated systems required extensive upgrades to meet modern standards, yet the history of the site proved to be a powerful motivator.

“We’re a bunch of space nerds, right?” Helderman said. “We love the history of that test stand. But it had to make business sense. Is the talent pool here? Huntsville is great for recruiting. With UAH supporting us with their graduates, the answer is obviously yes.”

Blue Origin opened an engine production facility in February 2020 in CRP, just miles from the test stand, a location that also benefits from proximity to customers and suppliers in North Alabama. Access to commodities such as oxygen, hydrogen and natural gas – available regionally at competitive costs – further strengthened the case for Huntsville as a testing hub.

The stand’s first hot fire under Blue Origin’s stewardship occurred in August 2023. Since then, the pace of testing has accelerated dramatically. “Last night, we crossed 500 tests since 2023,” Helderman said.

For Case, hearing engines roar again carries a special meaning. “Every time I hear it crank up in the evening, it’s like, yeah, that’s one more down, and the team’s making progress. The benefit that NASA also gets, it’s not just the money. It’s the partnership. It’s the collaboration.”

A model for the future

The BE-4 engine tested at 4670 will power both Blue Origin’s new Glenn vehicle and United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan rocket, supporting civil, commercial and national security missions. For Helderman, the engine represents a foundational step toward a broader vision. The partnership has also fueled significant economic growth in the region.

“We started in Huntsville with an engine plant that was going to have 200 people,” he said. “We’ve doubled our production capacity, our factory footprints. We’re close to 2,000 people now, roughly 10 times where we started at the beginning of this partnership.”

“This is not a one-off example,” Case emphasized. “This is a model we want to employ on many other collaborations and partnerships with industry. We have national assets, we have world-class facilities and people to go along with that. That’s what really makes it unique.”

Helderman agreed. “Treating it as a partnership, not as an adversarial relationship, really helped us out considerably. It’s working phenomenally for us. We’re excited for the next 10 years.”