Redstone rockets return to U.S. Space & Rocket Center

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) — The collection of rockets that defined Huntsville’s skyline for decades is back in place.

After six years, Rocket Row will reopen to the public at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center (USSRC).

“By blending historical preservation with modern enhancements and educational opportunities, the center continues to serve as a beckon inspiration, we hope, inviting visitors to engage with the past and the present and the future,” said USSRC CEO and Executive Director Dr. Kimberly Robinson.

The five Redstone rockets have been showcased at the USSRC since the 1960s. They tell the story of the space race advancements Huntsville engineers made leading up to the Apollo missions and the launch of the Saturn V.

“Those years finally took their toll necessitating a critical need for restoration to preserve these priceless artifacts,” Robinson said.

The rockets, removed in 2018, have now been restored and remounted on their pedestals.

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Rocket Row has a new name, honoring Fred Luddy, the donor who made much of the work possible. Luddy first visited the USSRC when his son attended a space camp.

“I said, ‘This is such a magnificent place, but some of your rockets look a little tired,'” Luddy said. “They already had a plan. The plan just needed a little fuel.”

Luddy’s two million dollar contribution set in motion the rocket restoration plan.

“Two words that I think embody this place are inspiration and education,” Luddy said. “For my son’s generation, he’s now 16, they not only get to learn so much about the past and how we got here, but I think they’re going to be inspired also to do things in the future.”

In addition to the restoration work, Rocket Park now includes new greenspaces and an amphitheater for educational programs. The area also showcases a section of the SLS Core Stage Pathfinder, a crucial test piece used to prepare for the Artemis I mission.

“This recent acquisition reminds us that we are still on the journey of exploration,” Robinson said.

Soon the USSRC will unveil a memorial wall with more than 20,000 names of people who have worked at Marshall Space Flight Center, making the journeys to space possible.

Rocket Row and its amenities will open to visitors in the next few weeks.

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