Photo by Gordon Campbell | At Altitude Gallery
Wallops Island
Owned and managed by: The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
Wallops Island is closed to the public.
Visitation policies
CLOSED
Wallops Island is closed to the public.
For information about the Wallops Flight Facility:
- Call us at (757) 824-1344
- NASA Wallops Flight Facility
About Wallops Island
Wallops Island has a different look from the other of Virginia’s Barrier Islands. Located just south of the Town of Chincoteague and Assateague Island, facilities supporting NASA, the U.S. Navy and the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport are located on Wallops. The Island supports a vast array of wildlife including white-tailed deer, Peregrine Falcons, Bald Eagles, loggerhead sea turtles and many waterfowl and shore birds. Wallops is U.S. Government Property and is closed to the public. Home to the launch facilities for NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility, rocket launches have been conducted from the barrier island, named after English colonist John Wallop, since 1945. These launches are visible from locations throughout the Eastern Shore of Virginia.
Photo Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls
Discover a Coastal Wilderness
The Atlantic coastline of Virginia’s Eastern Shore is a unique coastal wilderness that spans 70 miles from the Virginia/Maryland border to the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay. The region is characterized by vast, mostly undeveloped marshes, barrier island beaches and coastal lagoons that support globally important populations of migratory birds, are the site of intensive large scale oyster reef and eelgrass restoration projects, and provide extensive recreation opportunities in remote settings. Learn more about the natural history of this amazing coastal landscape.
OWNERSHIP AND LAND MANAGEMENT
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
NASA is a U.S. government agency that is responsible for science and technology related to air and space. The Wallops Flight Facility supports NASA efforts through its suborbital and special orbital programs and Earth science studies. Using sounding rockets, scientific balloons, aircraft and small spacecraft scientists explore space and our home planet from locations around the world. It operates a test range that includes tracking facilities, a research airport and a rocket launch range. NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility resides over 6,000 acres including its Main Base along Rt. 175 and Wallops Island. It hosts government and commercial organization operations including the U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency and the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport.
Explore Our Seaside Partners
The seaside of Virginia’s Eastern Shore is almost entirely owned and managed by non-profit, state and federal agencies. These partners share the common goal of protecting natural resources, while balancing sustainable recreational and economic use of the seaside. Learn more about our partnership.
This project was funded by The Nature Conservancy with support from The Volgenau Foundation and by the Virginia Coastal Zone Management Program led by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality through Grant #NA17NOS4190152 of the U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, under the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972, as amended. All Explore Our Seaside partners also contributed significant time and effort to the project.