Secret NASA facility in North Carolina hits market with $46m price tag

For decades, its operations were shrouded in secrecy, a silent sentinel at the forefront of the Space Race and the Cold War. Now, the veil has been lifted.

A colossal 192-acre former NASA campus in North Carolina, a site that once held the keys to cosmic discovery and national security, has hit the market for a staggering $46.3m (US$30m) and the internet is collectively losing its mind.

This isn’t just a sale; it’s a global phenomenon, drawing unprecedented attention from billionaires, tech moguls, and even nations vying for a piece of space history.

Imagine owning a piece of history so profound, it was instrumental in capturing the first-ever images of Earth from space.

This is the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute (PARI), a sprawling complex built in 1963. While its NASA origins were about reaching for the stars, its subsequent role for the National Security Agency during the Cold War was far more clandestine.

This was a key satellite communications hub, a nerve centre where secrets were kept and global intelligence flowed – a place few outsiders ever saw, let alone imagined owning.

Now, the opportunity to step inside this previously restricted world is real.

Beyond the historical intrigue, the campus offers a “ready-made getaway to the stars,” boasting over 30 buildings.

A shuttered NASA campus in North Carolina is on the market for $46.3 million

Re-live critical NASA missions.

A private office space.

Exhibit halls showcase science and technology.

Think a welcome centre, a library, exhibition spaces, a retrofitted 200-person cafeteria, and dormitories – all part of a self-contained scientific ecosystem.

But the real draw, the true glimpse behind the curtain, is the array of sophisticated, albeit antiquated, scientific and technological assets: 25 optical telescopes, a planetarium, colossal dish antennas that once listened to the cosmos and intercepted signals, state-of-the-art data centres, laboratories, and radio arrays.

It’s a fully equipped scientific outpost, a time capsule of technological prowess, now accessible to the highest bidder.

Adding to its unparalleled allure, the PARI campus is nestled within a breathtaking 500,000 acres of protected woodlands, part of the majestic Pisgah National Forest.

This pristine environment, designated an International Dark Sky Park, offers unparalleled conditions for astronomical observation and scientific research.

If walls could talk ….

More space history on display.

Cold War relics.

An underground tunnel.

“All of us are excited about it just because we’ve never seen anything like it and probably never will,” Robbie Perkins, Market President at NAI Piedmont Triad, told WLOS.

“It’s entirely unique. The federal government spent some $250 million on the site back in the early 60s,” Perkins said. “So, what is that worth today?”

According to an inflation calculator that would be an eye-watering $4.2b (US$2.7n) today.

So it’s clear, this isn’t just a bargain; it’s an opportunity to acquire a piece of infrastructure that would be impossible to replicate, a facility built with a national purpose.

The campus, however, isn’t just sitting and collecting dust.

The facility’s dining hall.

More NASA memorabilia.

A former NASA meeting room.

It is currently owned and operated by a non-profit that uses it for STEM education, research, data archiving, facility rentals, events, and private programs, according to the listing.

Perkins said he’s already received interest from buyers worldwide, but didn’t specify any big names.

Any would-be owner would need to be approved by the PARI Board of Directors and the North Carolina Attorney-General.