NASA announced on October 19, 2026, that engineers at Kennedy Space Center have streamlined shock and vibration analysis for rockets and spacecraft using commercial digital software.
Standardizing Finite Element Modeling
Engineers in the Dynamic Environments Group with NASA’s Launch Services Program Office at Kennedy Space Center in Florida developed a standardized workflow using a commercial digital software tool. The software performs finite element modeling to predict how rockets and spacecraft behave under extreme conditions before hardware is built.
According to Brian Beaver, chief of the Flight Analysis Division with the Launch Services Program Office at NASA Kennedy, this computer-based method helps identify weak spots and potential failure risks early so the team can address the findings.
First Use in Commercial Certification
The team recently used the software for the first time while certifying a commercial launch provider’s rocket selected for a NASA mission. Although the commercial partner provided vibration testing, the Dynamic Environments Group determined shock testing was needed and used a custom template to run what-if comparisons, visualize structural behavior, and verify testing results.
Alex Hardt, an aerospace engineer with the Launch Services Program Office at NASA Kennedy, stated that the new workflow has saved months of time by allowing the team to run analysis independently.
Key facts and where they come from
- NASA engineers created a standardized modeling workflow for finite element modeling to strengthen shock and vibration analysis.
the engineers developed a standardized modeling workflow for finite element modeling to strengthen shock and vibration analysis
- The team deployed the software for the first time while certifying a commercial launch provider's rocket selected for a NASA mission.
The team recently used the software for the first time while certifying a commercial launch provider’s rocket selected for a NASA mission.
- For decades, engineers estimated shock and vibration environments using rules of thumb or by scaling previous data.
For decades, engineers have estimated shock and vibration environments using rules of thumb or by scaling previous data
