Agile Space Industries announced on Jan. 26, 2026, the groundbreaking of the initial $20 million phase, establishing the Space Test Center (STC).

The multi-phase hot-fire rocket engine test facility is designed to address a critical shortage of responsive, altitude-capable propulsion testing infrastructure for the global space industry.

"The Space Test Center is the first $20 million step in a $200 million propulsion testing ecosystem," said Nick Aadland, the technical manager at Space Test Center. "This facility is intentionally scalable, built to seed a new space industry hub in Oklahoma and close a critical national gap in modern in-space propulsion test capacity."

Lyle Building Group of Tulsa is the project contractor.

Built on more than 12 years of propulsion testing heritage at Agile Space Industries, the Space Test Center will provide high-throughput testing services for small- to medium-class rocket engines supporting commercial, civil and national security space missions.

"The Space Test Center is purpose-built to enable speed to space," said Jim Vasher, general manager OF Space Test Center. "Demand for in-space propulsion is growing rapidly, but access to modern test infrastructure has not kept pace. STC directly addresses that gap with flexible, scalable and secure testing services."

"Today's groundbreaking marks an important milestone for Tulsa's growing space economy," said Alexis Higgins, CEO of Tulsa International Airport. "This development will utilize approximately 20 acres of non-aeronautical land at the airport and represents an initial investment of tens of millions of dollars by Agile Space Industries. As the first tenant in this area, Agile Space Industries is helping lay the foundation for a new broader space innovation ecosystem at Tulsa International Airport."

The global space economy exceeds $600 billion and is projected to grow to more than $1 trillion by 2040. Most SmallSat and ESPA-class spacecraft rely on thrusters under 100 pounds-force (lbf), with development demand concentrated between 25 and 300 lbf. However, few facilities are designed to support high-throughput testing in this thrust class, particularly for hypergolic propellant systems.

Legacy test facilities face long lead times, limited propellant flexibility and outdated testing approaches and have long proven to not be able to keep up with the needed and growing demand of the market, according to the company. The Space Test Center is designed to meet these needs with secure, U.S.-based infrastructure, optimized fast throughput, advanced data collection systems and a renowned team to work on your engines.

The Space Test Center is expected to anchor a broader regional space industry cluster known as the Tulsa Space Park, attracting additional manufacturing, integration and testing capabilities to the region, the company said.

(All photos courtesy of Agile Space Industries.)