AFRL awards Ursa Major $28.6M contract for hypersonic propulsion development
May 9, 2025
The US Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL)’s Rocket Propulsion Division at Edwards AFB, California, USA, has awarded Ursa Major a $28,565,857 contract for responsive space, hypersonic, and on-orbit propulsion. This new contract follows on from work completed to mature advanced liquid rocket engines and will culminate in a flight demonstration.
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“Under this contract, Ursa Major serves as the lead integrator for a tactical flight demonstrator that will prove the ability to use a storable liquid rocket system for hypersonic applications,” said Dan Jablonsky, CEO of Ursa Major. “Because of their tactical configuration, storable liquid rocket engines, like Ursa Major’s Draper, are uniquely positioned to deliver to the warfighter a hypersonic capability that is manufacturable at scale and at a fraction of the cost of alternatives.”
Ursa Major uses metal Additive Manufacturing to develop and manufacture its rocket engines.
The company’s Draper propulsion system combines the long-term storable attributes of solid rocket motors with the active throttle control and extended ranges of liquid systems, providing manoeuvrability, distance and flexibility needed for hypersonic applications for warfighters. Developed as a tactical, storable variant of the flight-proven and in-production Hadley system, Draper’s design enhances the simulation of hypersonic threats and addresses critical gaps in the US’ hypersonic capabilities.
Draper is a 4,000-pound-thrust, closed-catalyst cycle system that uses non-cryogenic fuels that optimise long-term storability. Ursa Major announced the successful hotfire of the Draper engine in May 2024. Draper has subsequently completed over 200 hot-fires, and this will be its maiden flight.
