Off Limits: Restricted Cold War Malta Rocket Test Site
On Christmas morning 1945 residents of Malta were woken up by the unexpected sound of a rocket engine blasting from Luther Woods. No, Malta wasn't under attack, but it did involve the Germans that we had just defeated in WWII.
After WWII captured German scientists came to the Malta Test Site to help develop rocket engines based on the V-2 rockets they developed in WWII. The site was run by GE and was used by the US Department of Defense, GE, NASA, and other scientific organizations developing the US Rocket Program.
Parts of the 165-acre site are being developed as an industrial park, but several buildings and bunkers remain from the original rockets testing site. Even the rocket gantries are still standing.
In 2016 the construction of the new industrial park had to be stopped after workers found a bunch of metal cylinders that were buried a couple of feet in the ground. The cylinders were removed and construction continued.
The site is private property and dangerous so it's best to explore its abandoned buildings through the gallery below.