Accomack EDA: Wallops Name Would Remain Under Launch Facility Proposal

The chairman of the Accomack County Economic Development Authority is pushing back on concerns that a proposal involving NASA Wallops would erase the historic Wallops name.

In a statement released by EDA Chairman David Lumgair, the authority said the proposal would leave NASA Wallops Flight Facility intact and apply only to the launch facility on Wallops Island.

“First and most importantly: Wallops is not being renamed, erased, or replaced,” the statement said.

According to the EDA, the main Wallops campus — including the airfield, offices, laboratories, hangars and workforce facilities — would continue to be known as NASA Wallops Flight Facility.

The proposal would instead recommend adding the name of Wachapreague native A. Thomas “Tom” Young to the launch facility on Wallops Island, where rocket launches take place.

The EDA also stressed that Accomack County does not have the authority to rename federal property. The Board of Supervisors has only adopted a resolution making a recommendation to federal officials.

“In short: Wallops will still be Wallops,” the statement said.

Lumgair said the distinction is important not only because of the area’s history, but also because of economic development.

The EDA argues that the term “Flight Facility” may not immediately communicate Wallops’ role in the commercial space industry to companies considering new investments.

“A potential investor or employer hearing ‘Flight Facility’ often thinks solely of aircraft,” the statement said.

The authority said giving the Wallops Island launch facility a clearer space-launch identity could help Accomack County compete for aerospace investment, jobs and business opportunities.

The EDA said growth in the aerospace sector could mean more high-paying jobs, subcontracting opportunities for local companies, demand for skilled trades and new career paths for Eastern Shore students.

The proposed name would honor Young, a native of Wachapreague who went on to hold major leadership positions in the nation’s space program and aerospace industry.

Young’s career included leadership roles in NASA’s Lunar Orbiter and Viking Mars programs, service as director of NASA’s Planetary Program and director of Goddard Space Flight Center. The EDA noted that Wallops came under Goddard’s management during Young’s tenure in 1981.

Young later served as president and chief operating officer of Martin Marietta and as an executive vice president of Lockheed Martin.

The EDA said it understands the strong emotional attachment many Eastern Shore residents have to the Wallops name, but believes the proposal can honor that history while strengthening the region’s identity as a space-launch center.

The authority said the proposal would preserve the Wallops name on the main facility, better highlight the Eastern Shore’s aerospace capabilities and honor a local native who rose to prominence in the American space program.

The EDA concluded that attaching Young’s name to the launch facility could also send a broader message to future generations.

The idea, the authority said, is to show that someone “can grow up in a little Eastern Shore town and have an impact on the world — maybe even things outside of it.”