A blast at a test site in Mississippi has left Anduril’s missile ambitions hanging by a thread, with weeks of downtime expected as the company rebuilds its experimental setup. Matt Grimm, COO, promises steady progress but admits: “Disciplined iteration begets steady progress.”

Despite valiant efforts and a $61 billion valuation from investors, Anduril’s rocket motor division in McHenry has faced repeated setbacks. The latest incident follows months of safety and technology issues, including an employee burning his hand with an igniter. While some critics see these as ‘whining about inane stuff,’ the reality is that mass production may not start until 2026.

Anduril acquired Adranos in 2023 to join the rocket motor business, but McHenry has been a hotbed of problems. A fire in 2021 melted an aluminium wall, and several structures have had to be rebuilt due to construction errors. The company is now starting from scratch with a new setup requiring more manual labour.

As morale dips alongside the site’s resources—free lunches and snacks are history—the hunt for a new head of production intensifies. With Anduril’s rocket division facing delays, could we be looking at launch postponements? Only time will tell if disciplined iteration will ultimately make up for lost cycles.