Air Products has announced that it was recently awarded supply contracts from the NASA totalling more than US$140 million to provide liquid hydrogen for several NASA facilities including the world’s largest hydrogen sphere at NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre, the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and other NASA locations.
“‘From the inception of the US space programme, Air Products has supported NASA’s mission by supplying the critical industrial gases needed from the initial Apollo 11 moon landing to the upcoming Artemis II moon mission,” said Francesco Maione, Air Products’ President, Americas. “For decades, Air Products has consistently demonstrated our ability to supply world-scale levels of liquid hydrogen and other industrial gases safely and reliably through our robust supply chain. We are proud to play a role in helping NASA confidently continue its important work.”
Under the new contract, Air Products will supply about 36.5 million lbs of liquid hydrogen to NASA for the Kennedy Space Centre and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida; NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Centre in Huntsville, Alabama; and NASA’s Stennis Space Centre in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.
Air Products’ working relationship with NASA began in 1957. It has included supplying NASA with liquid hydrogen and other industrial gases to advance the US Space Program including Apollo, the Space Shuttle, and Orion. In addition to supplying industrial gases for space launches, Air Products also has had a long-term relationship with NASA’s engine testing program at Stennis Space Centre in Mississippi, Johnson Space Centre in Texas, as well as Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama.
In 2025, Air Products completed the first fill of the world’s largest hydrogen sphere at the Kennedy Space Centre. To complete the fill, Air Products delivered over 50 trailer loads of liquid hydrogen – over 730 000 gallons in all – to NASA’s new sphere. The NASA hydrogen sphere is the world’s largest liquid hydrogen tank, measuring 90 ft tall and 83 ft in diameter.
Astronautic applications are a key business for Air Products, and the Company is also heavily involved in supporting the increasing number of privatised space launches and missions of several independent companies, with gases needed to manufacture rockets and satellites, conduct testing, and significant volumes for launches.