Kristen Smith
Ursa Major has secured a $28.56 million follow-on contract from the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory’s Rocket Propulsion Division to demonstrate the ability of its Draper propulsion system to support hypersonic missile applications.
“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 Daniel Jablonsky, Ursa Major’s CEO and a two-time Wash100 award recipient, in a press release published Thursday.
Draper – An Engine for Hypersonic Defense
The award builds on a previous contract with the Air Force that provided funding for the development of the Draper engine, designed to produce 4,000 pounds of thrust and use a non-cryogenic kerosene peroxide fuel combination that remains liquid at room temperature.
A tactical, storable variant of Ursa Major’s Hadley system, Draper was built to combine long-term storable characteristics of solid rocket motors with the active throttle control and extended ranges of liquid systems to provide warfighters with the maneuverability and flexibility needed for hypersonic defense.
“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,” said Jablonsky.
