Engineers at Aerojet are trying to figure out what went wrong after an older solid rocket motor unexpectedly ignited Wednesday morning during a routine test, authorities reported.
A blast was heard at 8:55 a.m., and a plume of smoke estimated at two miles wide could be seen rising from the scene.
Aerojet officials said a crew conducting an inspection was working remotely, so nobody was nearby when the blast occurred and no injuries were reported.
"It wasn't supposed to go off," said Linda Cutler, spokeswoman for Aerojet. "The kind of evaluation they were doing was really on how the motor is aging and other things like that. So, it was not a planned ignition test."
Fire officials responded to the area, but the blaze was contained. The blast occurred in a remote area of the 8,000-acre facility, located south of Highway 50 near Hazel Avenue.
Aerojet officials said preliminary tests indicated that all propellant was burned, but futher sampling would be done to confirm that none got into the ground.
Aerojet officials said they are in contact with air-quality officials dealing with any fallout from the blast.
"There is no danger to the community," Cutler added.
Inspectors were in the process of essentially sandblasting away a small section of the motor when the ignition occurred, Aerojet reported.
The company reported no similar incidents in the past related to this particular motor.
Aerojet, a major Sacramento-area employer, has been in the Rancho Cordova area since the early 1950s after moving from Southern California. The company saw dramatic growth in the 60s, when it became a key site for rocket development.
Over the years, the company has downsized, but the site is still the company's headquarters and home to missile and space propulsion operations.
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