First shown at the 2018 AUSA conference, this video highlights various capabilities of White Sands Missile Range. White Sands Missile Range (WSMR) is a United States Army military testing area of almost 3,200 sq mi (8,300 km2) in parts of five counties in southern New Mexico. The largest military installation in the United States, WSMR and the 600,000-acre (2,400 km2) McGregor Range Complex at Fort Bliss to the south (southeast Tularosa Basin and on Otero Mesa) are contiguous areas for military testing. On 9 July 1945, the White Sands Proving Ground was established for testing German and American long range rockets. Just seven days later, the first atomic bomb test, code named Trinity was exploded at Trinity Site, near the north boundary of the range.
The White Sands Test Center headquartered at the WSMR “Post Area” has branches for Manned Tactical Systems & Electromagnetic Radiation and conducts missile testing and range recovery operations. Other operations on WSMR land include:
- The Launch Abort Flight Test Complex for the Orion Project
- White Sands Launch Complex 37, built for Nike Hercules tests
- White Sands Launch Complex 38, built for Nike Zeus tests with Launch Control Building now used for Patriot missile firings
“WSMR Main Post”, which includes several smaller areas such as the housing area, golf course, “Navy Area”, and “Technical Area”[18] (a recreational shooting range just inside the “El Paso gate” on the south is outside of the Post Area.) - 1963 NASA White Sands Test Facility’s ground station for Tracking and Data Relay Satellites and the SDO ground station with 2 18 m (59 ft) antennas.
- The North Oscura Peak facility of the AFRL Directed Energy Directorate
