Midland Altitude Chamber Complex

Vacuum testing of spacesuits and spacecraft components historically has been accomplished using metal-walled altitude chambers with small viewing portals. A new altitude chamber complex has been developed and built, leveraging ocean submersible technology, to provide state-of-the-art hypobaric chambers with acrylic doors and wall sections for maximum visibility into the chambers.

The Midland Altitude Chamber Complex (MACC) was developed to support commercial spaceflight operations as part of the Midland Texas Air & Spaceport. The complex features three hypobaric chambers for testing equipment and training personnel in normal and emergency flight conditions: an 8U capable Equipment Chamber, a two-person Suit Chamber to test pressure suits, and a Cabin Chamber that can accommodate up to ten people or a vehicle cabin / flight deck. The vacuum control system provides rapid decompress capability as well as accurate nominal flight pressure mission profiles to be flown to altitudes of 200,000 feet. The MACC supports testing and qualification of space and pressure suits, payloads, subsystems and components, as well as flight crew training operations.