Ursa Major has secured a $34.9-million contract to deliver Draper rocket engines for space-based national security missions.
Draper is a storable liquid engine for hypersonic operations and rapid in-orbit maneuvers.
Unlike solid motors, it can restart, adjust thrust, and maneuver precisely while remaining storable for over a decade.
The reusable engine is mostly 3D-printed to cut parts and cost, runs on non-cryogenic, non-toxic propellants, and has completed more than 250 hot-fire tests.
“As adversaries increase their activity in space and missile defense becomes more multidomain, Draper provides the responsiveness, control, and flexibility required for the US to defend against emerging threats,” said Dan Jablonsky, CEO of Ursa Major.
“As a high-speed, affordable mass propulsion system, Draper represents a paradigm shift in defense propulsion on land, at sea, in the air, and now, in space.”
Latest Contracts
Ursa Major is expanding its role in US defense propulsion programs through a series of contracts supporting hypersonic systems, rocket motors, and advanced engine manufacturing.
The recent award follows a $28.6-million US Air Force Research Laboratory contract directing Ursa Major to demonstrate Draper in flight by the end of this year.
In June, the company signed a $32.9-million deal with Stratolaunch to supply 16 Hadley H13 engines for hypersonic test flights under the US Navy’s MACH-TB program.
Last year, RTX and Ursa Major completed flight tests of a new solid rocket motor at China Lake, powering an RTX missile with a motor less than 10 inches in diameter.
Earlier in 2024, the Colorado-based firm also reached an agreement with the US Navy to develop a 3D-printed replacement for the Mk-104 dual rocket motor used in SM-2, SM-3, and SM-6 missiles.
The effort uses Ursa’s “Lynx” additive manufacturing process to cut production time and improve reliability.
