ACS Completes Sierra Nevada Corp VORTEX® Engine Test Facility

ACS recently completed work on the new Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) VORTEX^® engine test facility at the Badger Army Ammunition Depot. ACS was the designer and builder for the project, which consisted of upgrading the existing testing facilities, infrastructure and site as well as designing and managing the construction of an entire new test cell.

ACS began working on the project in 2015 and through a phased approach has managed the entire site renovation and expansion, including engineering and building custom controls solutions, to deliver a fully integrated facility.

“Our work at the Badger Propulsion Test Facility was technically complex and highly sophisticated,” said Scott Hoselton, president and principal of ACS. “The increased responsibility of our role with Sierra Nevada Corporation was a true test of ACS’ capability to deliver fully-integrated facilities, starting with facility design and controls fabrication to construction and contractor management.”

ACS worked with more than 40 Wisconsin companies to complete the project, including design professionals and material suppliers.

“The engineering, build and restoration of this site was a massive undertaking with a number of technical and delicate moving parts,” said Paul Zamprelli, SNC Senior Manager Business Development. “The Sierra Nevada Corporation and ACS teams worked extremely well together to execute a very technically complex project successfully.”

On May 29, Sierra Nevada Corporation held a public viewing of a test-fire of its patented VORTEX rocket engine, showcasing next-generation technology available to NASA, the U.S. Air Force (USAF) and commercial launch companies.

To start the quoting process for the design and construction of your next engine test facility, contact ACS today!