Naval Ordnance Test Unit

• Establishment: The Naval Ordnance Test Unit (NOTU) was established in 1950 to support the U.S. Navy’s submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) program, specifically the development and testing of the Polaris missile. • Location: NOTU is headquartered at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, leveraging the site’s long history of missile and space launch operations. • Missile Testing: It has played a crucial role in testing and evaluating every generation of U.S. Navy SLBMs, including Polaris, Poseidon, Trident I (C4), and Trident II (D5) missile systems. • International Collaboration: NOTU supports the U.K.’s Royal Navy under the Polaris Sales Agreement, providing facilities and expertise for British Trident missile testing and operations. • Underwater Launches: NOTU engineers and monitors underwater missile launches from both U.S. and allied submarines, ensuring safety and reliability for each test. • Range Safety Innovations: The unit has pioneered range safety procedures and telemetry tracking technologies that have influenced both military and civilian space launches. • Support for NASA: NOTU’s expertise and infrastructure have occasionally been leveraged by NASA, especially for solid rocket motor testing and launch operations. • Unique Command Structure: Though it operates on a Space Force base, NOTU remains a U.S. Navy command, demonstrating joint force cooperation between military branches. • Historical Firsts: NOTU oversaw the world’s first successful underwater launch of a ballistic missile from a submerged submarine—the USS George Washington’s Polaris test in 1960. • Modernization Efforts: Today, NOTU continues to evolve, supporting new generations of missile and weapons systems, and playing a key role in the ongoing modernization of the U.S. nuclear deterrent.