A second chance on half an acre

Sally Schultz, a single mother of four, bought half an acre in Rio Rancho Estates, New Mexico for three thousand five hundred dollars. She grew corn, squash and green chile on the land.

Then a missile company arrived

Castelion, a startup founded in November two thousand twenty-two by three former SpaceX executives, is building Project Ranger, which it claims will be America's largest dedicated hypersonic manufacturing production facility.

Homes are in the danger zone

The facility is in some cases a little more than one thousand yards from roughly four hundred fifty properties in Rio Rancho Estates.Homes are within a danger zone should explosive chemicals stored onsite catch fire.

Safety questions remain unanswered

A year into Castelion's relationship with New Mexico, the company still hasn't answered basic safety questions. A hazard assessment found buildings would be left to burn in case of fire, releasing hydrochloric acid gas.

Residents fear the worst

Sally Schultz says the unknowing is scariest. Local resident Laura Lundberg says she lives next door to where World War three will be manufactured.

“I live next door to where World War III will be manufactured.”

A startup with big military backing

Castelion has a valuation of thirteen billion dollars, more than four times its Series B valuation of two point eight billion dollars from last year.

Blackbeard missiles cost far more

Castelion's Blackbeard missile was set to sell for three hundred eighty-four thousand dollars per unit.

Nevada rejected the same plan

In August two thousand twenty-three, Castelion applied to build a rocket factory in Churchill County, Nevada under the name Pallas Industrials. The company pulled out after Nevada officials required testing conditions and safety protocols.

A hazard report exposed online

In June two thousand twenty-five, Sandia National Labs delivered a hazard report. The lab released a heavily redacted version but left the full unredacted report accessible via copying and pasting the text.

Massive chemical stockpiles on site

Castelion plans to store up to two hundred fifty thousand pounds of ammonium perchlorate in covered magazines and bunkers.

Worst-case explosion scenarios

A detonation of the facility's largest allowed stockpile would require a buffer of almost nine football fields from the nearest inhabited building. A worst-case explosion could shatter large windows almost four miles away.

Firefighters cannot enter high-risk areas

The Rio Rancho Fire Department determined seventeen of the twenty-six buildings at Project Ranger would be left to burn if fire ignited. Firefighters would be barred from entering high-risk facilities due to chemical blaze risks.

Safety standards negotiated mid-construction

Internal emails show Castelion was negotiating critical fire-response requirements between March and May, even as construction had already started. The company only needed a signed memorandum of understanding to proceed.

“Great news! Saves all of us both legal bills and headaches.”

State and county backed the project

In August two thousand twenty-five, the county approved one hundred twenty-five million dollars in industrial revenue bonds and granted a ninety-five percent discount on property taxes. Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham attended the groundbreaking ceremony.

Residents say they were shut out

Castelion held its first public information meeting in October two thousand twenty-five. Rio Rancho resident Zachary Darden says all of this happened behind the scenes and by the time it was public, it was already…

“All of this happened behind the scenes. By the time it was public, it was already a done deal.”

Low-income residents face relocation costs

Rio Rancho Estates is a low-income neighborhood where residents are contemplating whether risks are too high to stay.

“This land is affordable for people who need it. We were sold out by our local officials.”