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Castellian outlines Project Ranger operations; residents press city on water, plume and emergency-response plans
Summary
Castellian told Rio Rancho officials Project Ranger would assemble and test solid rocket motors on a site about 2–3 miles from nearby neighborhoods, said static-fire tests are horizontal and limited to daytime, and pledged safety controls. Residents and councilors raised groundwater, plume, trucking-route and first-responder concerns and demanded written MOUs and more community meetings.
Castellian Corporation presenters described Project Ranger as a scale production and final-assembly site for solid rocket motors and "all up rounds," emphasizing the company’s aerospace experience and a committed safety and regulatory approach.
"Project Ranger is a scale production site for solid rocket motors," Andrew Crites told the Rio Rancho City Council, adding the facility will perform mixing, casting and curing of solid propellant, integrate electronics and conduct static-fire tests while explicitly saying the site will not synthesize ammonium perchlorate or launch missiles. "We will not be doing flight testing. We're not going to be launching missiles," Crites said.
The company described the propellant mix (ammonium perchlorate oxidizer, powdered aluminum and polymer binders), the casting process, separation distances among buildings, DCMA certification requirements and ongoing plume modeling with Sandia…
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