NASA reportedly moved Tail No. 844 into an Edwards hangar and called the engineers who knew it. The Cold War reconnaissance plane still owns the records.
A Cold War reconnaissance plane built to see deep into contested territory may be coming out of retirement.
Aviation Week reported that NASA contacted former SR-71A test engineers Mike Relja and Tim Conners about returning Tail No. 844 to flight. The outlet reported that NASA removed the aircraft from a display pole at Armstrong Flight Research Center and moved it into the former Space Shuttle hangar at Edwards.
NASA 844 last flew on Oct. 9, 1999, according to the agency’s own Blackbird history. The NASA-operated jet now reportedly sits inside a hangar while the people who kept it flying confront a 27-year gap, dead supply chains, and engines that have sat for decades.
The SR-71 was not an air-show toy. The Air Force identifies it as a strategic reconnaissance aircraft. On July 28, 1976, the Blackbird set its class’s absolute speed record—2,193.167 mph—and altitude record—85,068.997 feet—records the Air Force museum says still define the platform.
NASA has not confirmed the reported restart. Its administrator, Jared Isaacman, has said the agency is rebuilding its X-plane fleet to fly “as high and as fast” as decades past.