Let's Talk Luling Episode 7: David Teets on Crossbow Systems, Rocket Motors & What's Actually Happening North of Town
This post is adapted from Episode 7 of Let's Talk Luling, a podcast produced by DSE Media for the Luling Economic Development Corporation. Watch the full episode on YouTube.
If you've driven north of Luling on 183 and wondered what's going on out at the old airport site, this episode is for you. In Episode 7 of Let's Talk Luling, EDC Executive Director Arias sat down with David Teets, Site Director for Crossbow Systems, to answer the questions Luling residents have been asking since the company showed up — what are those buildings, what's that noise, and what exactly does a solid rocket motor company do in a town of 7,000 people?
Who is David Teets?
David is a retired Air Force Chief Master Sergeant who spent his career overseeing base infrastructure — communications, engineering, fire departments, contracting, logistics — most recently at a base in Cheyenne, Wyoming managing ICBMs. When Crossbow was looking for someone to pull all the operational strings together at their Luling site, his background was a natural fit. He's also a team roper, steer wrestler, and calf roper who travels to rodeos with his wife and son. And he brings his dog Cinch to work every day. Cinch is, by general consensus, the more famous of the two.
What does Crossbow Systems actually do?
Crossbow builds solid rocket motors from start to finish. The simplest version: they make propellant, cure it, assemble it into a motor casing with a nozzle, and get it ready to either static fire for testing or ship to the customer. The company was founded to disrupt the industry and they're doing it by using a different manufacturing process than the traditional large mixer approach — essentially running the propellant continuously down a line using a robotic arm for casting, which produces more consistent results.
The propellant at the curing stage is an explosive, and the company treats it accordingly. Every building, every process, every test follows Department of Defense regulation 4145 — a manual that dictates safety parameters for contractors doing business with the DoD. Every building on the site has a quantity distance designation, which creates mapped safety zones around each structure and determines how close personnel, roads, and public highways can be. The ATF also audits the site regularly. Nothing about Crossbow is willy-nilly.
That noise you hear
If you've heard a sound from the north side of town that resembles steam being released, that's the test stand. Crossbow straps motors to a concrete stand and fires them for anywhere from 5 to 30 seconds depending on the test. The stand is built to hold the thrust in place — nothing is launching into the sky. The large concrete wall next to the stand, which the team affectionately calls Mount Luling, is there to contain any anomaly if one ever occurred. For anything larger than a routine test, Crossbow coordinates in advance with the Luling Fire Department, EMS, and police department. They recently gifted the first responders a signed photo of the largest test they've done to date as a thank you for the ongoing partnership.
The drone contract
One publicly announced contract involves rocket-assisted takeoff for military drones. Crossbow builds a small motor that attaches to a launch stand, gets the drone from zero to flight instantly — useful in field conditions where there's no runway. The drone can weigh up to 100 pounds. Everything about what happens to the drone after launch is the customer's business. Crossbow's job is getting it in the air.
The multi-use building — not a circus tent
The large structure visible from the highway with the Crossbow logo on the side is called a sprung structure — a military-grade fabric and steel building used by the DoD and SpaceX among others. It went up in under six months, covers over 25,000 square feet, and is far more comfortable inside than it looks from the road. It currently houses the inert assembly bay where Luling locals are assembling drone motors, a temporary lab running small propellant quantities, and various other operations while the permanent facilities are built out.
Locals are already working there
A significant portion of Crossbow's assembly team is from Luling. The site also employs local electricians, HVAC technicians, and construction workers. When David visited CTE Director David Smith at Luling High School, it was to explore a potential mentorship or internship partnership with the school. Crossbow has already participated in Junior's Day career events and plans to deepen the relationship with Luling ISD.
David was direct about this: Crossbow doesn't just want engineers. They want people who want to work with their hands, people coming out of trades programs, people who are 18 or 19 and aren't sure what they want to do yet. If you want to know what's available, check the careers section of the Crossbow website.
What's coming
Crossbow is in the early stages of Phase 2 of a four-phase construction plan. The permanent lab alone — over 10,000 square feet — takes 12 to 15 months just to design due to the safety parameters required. David is actively surveying adjacent land for expansion and working with civil engineers to figure out what's usable given the quantity distance requirements.
The company also has three downtown Luling offices and plans to stay embedded in the community — sponsoring events, showing up at career fairs, and being as transparent as possible with residents about what's happening on the site.
If you see David around town, stop him. If you see Cinch, definitely stop.
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