Adranos, Inc., an Indiana company that produces clean, solid rocket fuel for space travel, announced this week that it’s increasing its investment in Mississippi.
In September 2020, Adranos announced it was opening a location in McHenry, Miss., in a 640-acre complex previously housing a facility for General Dynamics. That investment represented $525,000 and 20 new jobs. With proximity to the Stennis Space Center and its previous build-out for compliance with Department of Defense specifications, the facility is well-suited for testing next-generation rocket fuel.
Now, in May 2021, Andranos is further expanding the facility with a $1.35 million investment that it says will create another 25 new jobs in Stone County. The Mississippi Development Authority (MDA) and the Stone County Economic Development Partnership are helping Adranos with building improvements.
“We are grateful for the continued support of Stone County and the state of Mississippi as we continue developing our high-performance solid rocket fuel,” said Adranos CEO Chris Stoker. “The McHenry location will provide us access to first-class facilities and an exceptional talent base to enable the growth of our rocket motor research, development, and production operations for years to come.”
Governor Tate Reeves noted that Mississippi has played an essential role in space travel for decades, and he thanked the company for its investment in facilities and job growth in Stone County. MDA Executive Director, John Rounsaville, credited the public-private partnership with providing high-end jobs for Mississippians.
“The privatization of space has meant that more and more private companies are focusing on space enterprises,” said Tony Jeff, president and CEO of Innovate Mississippi. “We’ve been excited to see these firms locating and growing in Mississippi.”
The Adranos mission is to improve the solid rocket fuel used for space exploration, saying that the technology hasn’t changed much since the 1960s. ALITEC is their proprietary solid rocket fuel designed to boost rocket performance while eliminating harmful hydrochloric acid emissions.
