An Ursa Major propulsion engineer works on a Hadley rocket engine. Photo: Ursa Major

The U.S. Air Force has awarded rocket propulsion company Ursa Major funding for development of its Hadley engine. The contract is under the U.S. Air Force Tactical Funding Increase (TACFI) program. 

Hadley is a 5,000-pound thrust, oxygen-rich staged combustion engine designed for both the booster and upper-stage phases to launch satellites into Low-Earth Orbit. As part of the AFRL contract deliverables, Ursa Major will also be providing the Air Force Research Lab with data sets from extensive testing of multiple Hadley engines, including measurements of specific impulse, or ISP, combustion stability, vibration and shock profiles, and range of inlet pressures and temperatures.

“We selected Ursa Major and its Hadley rocket engine based on the company’s experienced technical and leadership teams and the engine’s proven performance,” said Shawn Phillips, Chief of the AFRL Rocket Propulsion Division (aka The AFRL Rocket Lab). “This partnership is one example of how the federal government is furthering its research and development progress by engaging with our country’s promising entrepreneurs and innovators.”

TACFI funding is through the AFVentures program, available to small businesses with a Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR). It is designed to bridge the “valley of death” between Phase II and Phase III.  

Earlier this year, Ursa Major received a 200-engine order from Phantom Space Corp. for its Hadley and Ripley Engines to fuel Phantom’s Daytona rocket. Ursa Major has also provided the Hadley engine to Stratolaunch, which provides aircraft for hypersonic flight-testing.