Malta Test Station, New York

The Malta Test Station is a former 165-acre industrial R&D site surrounded by a wooded buffer zone in suburban Saratoga, established in 1945 by the U.S. Government for rocket engine and fuel testing, explosives testing, and atomic energy research. It has been used over the years by government agencies including the Department of Defense, NASA, the Department of Energy, and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, and was operated by General Electric until 1984. During the early period especially, exotic rocket fuels and ordnance were experimented with here. In 1984, NYSERDA sold approximately 81 acres of the Test Station, including most of the 33 original buildings, test areas, rocket gantries, and other facilities to the WrightMalta Corporation, a campany spun-out of GE. Environmental clean-up measures continue, as does redevelopment. Some rocket-related ruins are still scattered about.