Army Ballistic Missile Agency (ABMA)

The Army Ballistic Missile Agency (ABMA) was the U.S. Army rocket organization at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama, built around Wernher von Braun's German rocket team. Hermann Oberth joined the group in 1955 and contributed to advanced space-technology studies there until his 1958 return to Germany [S1][S2]. ABMA's rocket team was later transferred to NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (1960), after Oberth had departed.

Sources

[S1] "Redstone Arsenal Historical Information — Significant Events" | U.S. Army URL: https://history.redstone.army.mil/space-significant.html Accessed: 2026-07-18 Claim: Oberth arrived for duty at Redstone Arsenal on 7 July 1955

[S2] "Rocket Pioneers, Schemers and Dreamers!" | Huntsville History Collection URL: https://huntsvillehistorycollection.org/hhc/showhpg.php?id=348&a=article Accessed: 2026-07-18 Claim: Oberth listed with the Redstone/Army group, July 1955 to November 1958