Ursa Major’s latest variant of the flight-proven, production-rate Hadley liquid rocket engine, H13, has completed its first hot fires, following a series of design improvements and updated manufacturing processes. Hadley H13 is the mission-upgraded variant of Ursa Major’s Hadley H11 engine, which is flight-proven and designed for hypersonic applications. H13 increases engine reusability and improves overall engine performance compared to previous Hadley variants and is intentionally designed to fly in a variety of hypersonic and launch applications.
“Hadley is Ursa Major’s foundational engine that has already flown hypersonic several times,” said Chris Spagnoletti, CEO at Ursa Major. “With new materials and manufacturing, H13 can be reused more than twice as many times as previous variants, driving down the cost per flight while supporting new test objectives and mission profiles.”
The engine uses new materials to improve performance and increase engine life. By in-sourcing major components of the H13 engine, Ursa Major strategically implements vertical integration of additively manufactured parts, which ensures cost efficiency and streamlined manufacturing.
In the past, Hadley was a tailored solution that required bespoke development, resulting in longer lead times. H13 productizes the engine for diverse applications, including hypersonic flight and light launch, reducing lead times associated with engine development and positioning Hadley as Ursa Major’s off-the-shelf liquid rocket engine for urgent hypersonic and launch needs. With its increased reusability and use of cryogenic fuels, H13 is the lowest-cost-per-flight and highest-performing engine Ursa Major has developed to date.
