A US$349 million rocket tower once part of NASA's Constellation rocket program has been canceled but strangely, construction still continued.

The Mississippi Tower, also called the John C. Stennis Space Center, was designed to test rocket motors in real life conditions. It was to have tested the Aries 1 and 5 boosters and the J-2X engine that were all later canceled.

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The booster equipment was designed during the Bush Administration. The project was later scrapped by President Obama in 2010.

The primary purpose of the tower is to test rocket engines inside a chamber designed to produce similar space conditions. The Space Launch System, which is the successor to the Orion mission, did not require these tests.

Sen. Roger Wicker from Mississippi said he intended to continue building the massive tower even if he knows it will never be used by NASA or any space agency. In a vague press release, the senator said these actions were carried out to maintain human spaceflight.

The office of Senator Wicker reported the termination of the Constellation program by NASA can cause a major shift in America's leadership in the space race and can also affect the economy of Mississippi. The state invested billions of taxpayer dollars to develop new space technologies.

The construction of the massive tower was recently completed. The facility was quickly shut down, however.

Operating the tower will cost NASA some US$700,000 every year for maintenance.

In 2010, Wicker also claimed NASA Administrator Charles Bolden promised him half a billion dollars in federal investments for the new rocket testing facility to be used for future rocket projects and space missions despite the Constellation program being cancelled.  

TagsNASA, mississippi tower, NASA constellation program, John C. Stennis Space Center, NASA rocket tower 349 million complete shuts down close down, Why Did NASA Finish a $349 Million Rocket Tower Only to Close it Down?