HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — NASA is looking to replace a 17-year-old computed tomography (CT) inspection system at Marshall Space Flight Center with a next-generation platform. The new structure will support nondestructive evaluation of additive manufactured components, pressure vessels, and hardware involved in failure investigations.
The investment comes after the existing system experienced significant reliability problems, including more than 50% downtime during the past 18 months. NASA said the replacement will restore a mission-critical inspection capability while improving image quality, system reliability, and analytical accuracy.
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Looking inside hardware without cutting it open
Before an aircraft, rocket, or spacecraft component ever reaches a launch pad, engineers need to know what is happening inside it. Damage such as tiny cracks, air pockets, or manufacturing defects isn't always visible from the outside, but it can affect how a part performs under stress.
Industrial CT systems solve that problem by creating detailed three-dimensional images of a component's interior using X-rays. Instead of cutting a part apart for inspection, engineers can look at its internal structure while leaving the hardware intact. That allows the same component to move on to additional testing or, in some cases, flight qualification.
The approach has become even more important as aerospace manufacturers adopt advanced composite materials. Many of those parts contain complex internal geometries that traditional inspection methods cannot easily evaluate.
NASA said its new CT platform will support additive manufacturing development, composite material evaluation, including composite overwrapped pressure vessels (COPVs), and detailed failure investigations across ongoing and future programs.
Modern spacecraft demand larger and more capable inspection systems
NASA's requirements reflect how much aerospace hardware has evolved over the past two decades. The agency is seeking a system that can examine components up to 60 inches in diameter, 60 inches tall, and weighing as much as 3,000 pounds. It also wants the flexibility to perform both computed tomography and digital radiography using multiple detector types depending on the application.
Beyond capturing images, NASA expects the system to reconstruct high-resolution three-dimensional datasets, minimize common imaging artifacts, and provide analysis tools that let engineers measure features, compare dimensions, and look at image quality. The software must also save data in industry-standard formats that can be shared with other engineering applications.
Those capabilities help teams move beyond simply identifying whether a defect exists. They can also evaluate its size, location, and potential effect on the component before deciding whether additional testing or repairs are necessary.
Reliability matters as much as image quality
NASA described the existing inspection system as increasingly unreliable, making it harder to support ongoing engineering work. Restoring that capability means teams can continue inspecting flight hardware without interruptions caused by aging equipment.
The agency also wants a system designed for long-term operation. The statement of work calls for commercial off-the-shelf safety components where possible, spare parts for major subsystems, remote diagnostics, and factory and on-site acceptance testing before NASA accepts the installation.
Those requirements aim to reduce future downtime while ensuring the system continues meeting inspection and safety requirements throughout its service life.
Nondestructive testing continues to grow across aerospace
CT inspection has become a standard tool across aerospace as manufacturers adopt more advanced materials, additive manufacturing, and increasingly complex component designs. Inspection technology has evolved alongside those changes.
NASA's planned upgrade reflects that shift, giving engineers a more capable platform for assessing the hardware that supports future aircraft and spacecraft programs.
