Explosion Halts Rocket Motor Testing at Anduril’s Mississippi Facility
Last Friday, a rocket motor exploded during a test at Anduril’s facility in McHenry, Mississippi, marking another setback for the defense company’s ambitions to become a major supplier of missile propulsion systems. Anduril confirmed the incident after an inquiry from WIRED. No injuries were reported, but the blast damaged the testing stand, according to Chief Operating Officer Matt Grimm, who posted an update on Tuesday following WIRED’s outreach.
Three individuals familiar with Anduril’s operations, granted anonymity to discuss sensitive matters, told WIRED they could not recall another similar test explosion in recent years and were unaware of the cause. The incident halted prototype testing work that generates revenue for Anduril’s rocket motor unit. One source indicated that rebuilding the setup could take up to two months. However, Grimm wrote that Anduril expects to resume testing within weeks, adding, ‘Anduril is continuing to build and test rocket motors weekly, and the production facility remains on schedule.’ Shannon Prior, an Anduril spokesperson, did not comment beyond referencing Grimm’s post.
Production Delays and Setbacks Continue
Anduril had planned to begin mass production of rocket motors on July 1, 2025, but a year later, the company has yet to do so, according to four people familiar with the matter, contradicting Grimm’s assertion of being on schedule. A former Pentagon official who helped award a multimillion-dollar grant to Anduril previously told WIRED he anticipated years of delays despite the company’s promises. Solid rocket motor production in the U.S. is largely controlled by just a few firms, leading to shortages the Pentagon is trying to address by supporting startups.
Anduril, valued at $61 billion by investors, has fulfilled billions in government contracts globally by developing drones, submarines, and other systems. However, its rocket motor unit in McHenry has faced repeated challenges. In March 2026, WIRED reported safety and technology issues at the facility, including an employee burning his hand with an igniter and expensive equipment that failed to perform as intended. Anduril founder Palmer Luckey dismissed earlier reporting as ‘whining about inane stuff,’ while chairman Trae Stephens said the company is ‘scaling faster than anyone in this industry’ and ‘fixing problems as we find them.’
Before mass production, Anduril generated tens of millions of dollars in revenue in 2025 by designing, building, and testing prototype motors for customers like the U.S. Navy. That work is now uncertain. Two people say mass production may not begin for another year. After WIRED’s March report, Anduril executives offered additional resources, and in April, the team decided to move struggling equipment into storage and develop a new production setup requiring more manual labor. One source described the situation as ‘a hot mess,’ adding, ‘They completely gutted the building and started from scratch what they had spent three years developing.’
A History of Troubles at the McHenry Facility
Anduril entered the rocket motor business in 2023 by acquiring the defense startup Adranos, which had established the McHenry facility. The site had a history of technical and construction problems before Anduril’s involvement. In 2021, a fire caused partly by improper waste disposal melted the aluminum wall of one building, according to a person familiar with the incident. In subsequent years, parts of other buildings and setups had to be rebuilt due to construction errors. This year, Anduril postponed plans to buy new equipment for its in-house machining shop, redirecting funds to correct other issues.
Morale and Staffing Issues
The strategy shifts, production delays, and the loss of perks such as free lunches and snacks have contributed to declining morale and several employee departures at the McHenry site, several sources said. Anduril has been steadily hiring new recruits and, according to a public job listing, is currently searching for a new head of production in McHenry for at least the second time in a year, tasked with shaping one of the company’s ‘most mission-critical business lines.’