
An integral part of the Exploration Space Initiative is a mural and Beal Aerospace BA-2 Launch Vehicle.
Founded in 1997, Beal Aerospace sought to develop medium- to heavy-lift rockets to launch commercial satellites. Through its brief but eventful existence, the company helped lay the foundation for the success enjoyed by the private space industry today.
Beal’s BA-2 orbital launch vehicle was a technologically-innovative initiative to lower the costs of commercial space transport. In March 2000, Beal Aerospace tested the massive BA-810 Stage 2 engine, the largest liquid-fueled rocket engine of its generation, second only to the Saturn V rocket used by NASA’s Project Apollo. The peroxide/kerosene 810,000-pound vacuum thrust engine made a 21-second firing at the company’s engine test facility in McGregor, Texas.





