Edwards AFB in Kern County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

Rocket Site

AIAA Historic Aerospace Site

1. Rocket Site Marker

Inscription.
Leading the vision and evolution of Air Force rocket propulsion technology from its earliest days, the Rocket Site's men and women and their unique research, development, and test facilities have provided the discoveries, developments, and applications of scientific and engineering answers to national defense rocket propulsion needs for more than fifty years.
April 1947 - January 2000.

Erected 2000 by American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Air & Space • Military • Science & Medicine. In addition, it is included in the AIAA Historic Aerospace Sites series list. A significant historical month for this entry is April 1947.

Location. 34° 55.701′ N, 117° 41.7′ W. Marker is in Edwards AFB, California, in Kern County. It can be reached from Mercury Boulevard 2½ miles east of Rocket Site Road. Edwards Air Force Base and the Rocket Site are not open to the public. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Boron CA 93516, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in California’s

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San Joaquin Valley,

specifically in the Central Valley,

and in the Sierra Nevada.

It is also on the American Pacific Coast.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Ring of Fire,

in the Pacific Rim,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain

and also Mexico’s Alta California.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 11 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Borax (approx. 5½ miles away); Miner's Cabin (approx. 5½ miles away); Florence Lowe “Pancho” Barnes (approx. 5½ miles away); Twenty-Mule Teams (approx. 5½ miles away); Twenty Mule Team (approx. 7 miles away); Twenty-Mule Team Borax Wagon (approx. 7 miles away); a different marker also named Miner's Cabin (approx. 7 miles away); First Flight to Break the Sound Barrier (approx. 10.7 miles away).

Regarding Rocket Site. This site is not open to the public. The rocket engine test stands on the hill can be seen from Highway 58 and the town of Boron, five miles to the north.

In 1998, a rocket launch pad and mission control room were built here for the

2. Rocket Site Marker

X-33, a test vehicle for the next-generation Space Shuttle. The program was cancelled in 2001, before the first launch.

Also see . . . List of AIAA Historic Aerospace Sites. This was the first of 58 plaques dedicated by AIAA between 2000 and 2013. They began installing new plaques again in 2025. (Submitted on April 8, 2022.)

3. Rocket Site

Formerly called Phillips Lab, today it’s known as the Air Force Research Lab - Propulsion Directorate test area.

courtesy NASA

4. Rocket Test

The first test of an F-1 engine for the Apollo moon rocket, at the Rocket Site in 1961.

Credits. This page was last revised on February 17, 2026. It was originally submitted on July 23, 2020, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. This page has been viewed 6,433 times since then and 399 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on July 23, 2020, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. 4. submitted on September 19, 2025, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.