NASA reportedly approached former SR-71 personnel in August 2026 about a possible effort to return NASA SR-71A Tail No. 844 to flight. Former NASA and U.S. Air Force test engineer Mike Relja said the aircraft had been moved into a hangar for inspection. NASA has not confirmed a return-to-flight project.
NASA reportedly approached former SR-71 personnel about No. 844
No. 844 was reportedly absent from its display position by May 17, 2026, and may have been moved before April. Relja said crews were working on the aircraft in the hangar by the time NASA approached him. In August, NASA special projects director David Ash reportedly offered Relja a role connected to the possible effort. Former NASA test engineer Tim Conners also reportedly received an offer and declined.
What NASA has said about the aircraft
NASA said it had no additional information to share about the aircraft. At the All-In Summit in Los Angeles from September 12 to 14, NASA administrator Jared Isaacman discussed rebuilding the agency’s X-plane fleet and showed an unidentified aircraft silhouette.
The challenges former SR-71 personnel described
Relja described engines that had been idle for more than 30 years, a destroyed spare-parts inventory and specialized ground equipment that was no longer available. He said the SR-71’s spare engines had been rotated every 90 days and run every 180 days to keep them ready during the aircraft’s operational period.
NASA and the U.S. Air Force reportedly destroyed the Blackbird spare-parts supply in 2007. Relja also described the need to restore access to JP-7 fuel, triethylborane, engine oil and hydraulic fluids. The SR-71’s J58 engines used JP-7, a specialized fuel.
Tail No. 844’s place in SR-71 history
NASA SR-71A Tail No. 844 made its final flight on October 9, 1999, and remained on display at Armstrong Flight Research Center. Its reported removal from display and the reported approach to former personnel have renewed attention to the possibility of a return to flight.
