Most People Have No Idea There’s A Rocket Testing Site Decaying Outside Of Everglades National Park

Everglades National Park is a beautiful and beloved national park to visit in Florida, but not many people know that hidden deep within there is a massive and abandoned rocket testing site. Known as the Aerojet-Dade Rocket Facility, this place once churned out rockets and missiles for the military and is now one of the most impressive decaying sites in the state. Read on to learn more about the history of this place, and be sure to watch the fascinating exploration footage by YouTube channel "The Proper People" below.

If you’re planning a visit to this incredible national park, there’s no better time to visit than during National Park Week. Learn all about this celebration of America’s great outdoors — including fee-free days throughout the year!

Aerojet Dade is an abandoned rocket testing and manufacturing facility located right on the edge of the Florida Everglades.

The way this facility came to be was in 1963 when Aerojet General was given a contract from the U.S. Air Force for $3 million dollars to build a rocket manufacturing and test site. This facility aimed to build and test rockets that would send astronauts to the moon.

Built back in the 1960s, the facility is a relic of the space race era. Tucked away beneath a giant metal shed, there is a 150-foot deep silo that once housed the largest solid-fuel rocket motor that was ever built.

The rocket itself was tested three different times within the 1960s, but eventually, the plant closed, leaving the rocket behind. In 1986, NASA awarded Space Shuttle booster contract to Morton Thiokol, leading Aerojet to shutter its operations in Florida.

Today, the complex is crumbling. A nature trail runs through the area, though the future of the rocket factory remains unknown.

Take a look at the incredible footage of this place below shared by YouTuber The Proper People:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zy-UbbJSXpo

Have you ever heard about the Aerojet-Dade Rocket Facility in the Everglades? If not, now you have more than one reason to choose this as the national park to visit in Florida! If you have visited and want to share with us your experience, make sure to do so in the comments section!