Ursa Major has an agreement with Astra that will support nexgen comms, national security and defense, as well as EO.
Under the agreement, Ursa Major will provide “Hadley” engines for the upper stage of Astra’s Launch System 2 on that firm’s newly architected, higher-capacity, Rocket 4 launch vehicle. Launch System 2 is designed for customers that need affordable, frequent, and reliable orbital launch, deploying spacecraft directly into operational orbits.
Launch System 2’s upper stage will use the vacuum variant of Hadley, an oxygen-rich staged combustion (ORSC) engine fueled by liquid kerosene. The vacuum variant of Hadley provides 6,500 pounds of thrust, compared to Hadley’s sea-level configuration, which provides 5,000 pounds of thrust. To enable longer missions, Hadley features an ignition system capable of multiple restarts.
Reliable rocket propulsion is critical to maintaining the space supply chain and growing the space industry. Ursa Major focuses solely on propulsion to lower the cost and risks of the most expensive, time-consuming, and risky aspect of space launch. Ursa Major’s flexible rocket engines can be used for various missions, from air launch to hypersonic flight and on-orbit missions.
“The Ursa Major-Astra partnership marks an important industry milestone in outsourcing propulsion to unlock growth and innovation for launch providers and their customers. We’re excited to be a part of Astra’s Launch System 2 and the company’s next chapter of success.” — Joe Laurienti, founder and CEO of Ursa Major
Ursa Major is focusing solely on rocket propulsion, bringing high-performance, staged combustion engines to market for space launch and hypersonic applications. Ursa Major customers, ranging from “New Space” startups to enterprise-level aerospace leaders and the U.S. government, get to flight faster, more reliably, and cost-effectively.
