Ursa Major Rocket Start Up

[bobbymike]

Rocket Startup Could Get Huge Boost from Lockheed Martin Buying Aerojet Rocketdyne

Ursa Major is developing a family of rocket engines for commercial and defense customers.

www.defenseone.com

 

[bobbymike]

Home | Ursa Major

Propulsion systems are the hardest—and riskiest—part of a rocket; we make it easier.

www.ursamajor.com

Ursa Major Signs Contract With US Navy For Next Gen Solid Ro

Ursa Major, America’s leading privately funded company focused solely on propulsion, announced a contract today with the Naval Energetics Systems and Technologi

www.asdnews.com

 

[Forest Green]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1806742654979579944

View: https://x.com/ursamajortech/status/1806742654979579944

 

[Forest Green]

New solid-rocket maker aims to start production next year

Ursa Major says 3D printing will help deliver missile motors more quickly and cheaply than today’s players.

www.defenseone.com

 

[NMaude]

Raytheon and Ursa Major have had two successful flight-tests of a new rocket-motor:

Raytheon, Ursa Major log successful solid rocket motor flight test

WASHINGTON — RTX weapons arm Raytheon and defense startup Ursa Major Technologies have completed two successful test flights of a missile propelled by a new solid rocket motor, the companies announced today.

The recent tests mark a step forward in Ursa Major’s path to become a third provider of solid rocket motors for the US weapons industry around 2026, when qualification of the technology is currently scheduled, the companies stated in a news release.

“There is a new player on the scene in the solid rocket motor industry,” Ursa Major CEO Dan Jablonsky told reporters during a roundtable. “This is an Army program that we’ve been working on with Raytheon. In this particular program, we went from concept and design to firing and flight on the range in just under four months, which is lightning fast.”

 

[TomS]

Raytheon and Ursa Major have had two successful flight-tests of a new rocket-motor:

Raytheon, Ursa Major log successful solid rocket motor flight test

Copying my musings from the Standard Missile thread.

They are being coy about what specific missile was used for testing. But if the photo that comes with the article is any guide, my hunch is that it's related to Rolling Airframe Missile. The Ursa Major test article looks like it has six tail fins and a slight boattail. Closest match I can find to that is RAM Block 2. Fins are not quite an exact match, but close. (I half wonder if there isn't a RAM Block 3 in the works somewhere with a full caliber front end and correspondingly larger tail fins.)

 

[TomS]

OH, as @Josh_TN pointed out, this is specifically for an Army program, so RAM is probably not related at all. Then again, no guarantee that photo is linked to the test, either.

Space News has a totally different photo of a 6-inch rocket motor test, which also might not be related in any way to this test. This looks very much like a Close-Combat Missile System- Heavy (CCMS-H) concept to me. Seems in the right ballpark to be a TOW replacement, anyway.

Raytheon tests Ursa Major’s rocket motor in U.S. Army missile flight

The solid rocket motor market is seeing increased competition as startups enter the space, promising faster production times and lower costs compared to traditional manufacturers

spacenews.com

 

[bring_it_on]

Neither of those images may be related to the program. The press release and statements describe it as a sub 10 inch diameter motor with a sub 1000 km weapon range. With an extended range variant to be tested in 2025. This wasn’t a motor fire but a flight test of the weapon its supporting.

 

[NMaude]

Since the rocket-motor in question was less than 10" in size and for an existing design I was thinking of either an AIM-120, AIM-9 or maybe AIM-7M/P.

 

[TomS]

Since the rocket-motor in question was less than 10" in size and for an existing design I was thinking of either an AIM-120, AIM-9 or maybe AIM-7M/P.

We don't know that it was for an existing design. We do know it was for the Army.

 

[bring_it_on]

TUCSON, Ariz., Dec. 18, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Raytheon, an RTX (NYSE: RTX) business, and Ursa Major announced its advanced long-range solid rocket motor completed a successful missile flight test for the U.S. Army. The companies' combined experience and expertise in digital engineering was a critical factor in accelerating the design and development of this transformational capability.

"These long-range solid rocket motors will allow the U.S. Army and allies to strike farther and faster than anything our adversaries have in their arsenals," said Tom Laliberty, president of Land and Air Defense Systems at Raytheon. "This long-range rocket motor technology fills the essential role of providing affordable precision fires, while increasing range, safety, and magazine depth."

Raytheon and Ursa Major's technical approach composes innovative, low-cost component technologies to deliver a new generation of smart munitions for the U.S. Army that are significantly more affordable than currently fielded systems.

"The Ursa Major team has utilized additive manufacturing to complete motor development, manufacturing, and testing in unprecedented timelines, resulting in nearly 300 static test fires this year," said Ursa Major CEO Dan Jablonsky. "The innovative manufacturing techniques we employ are yielding agile solid rocket motor solutions with the design flexibility needed to expand the capabilities of the U.S. military. Ursa Major is poised to scale the production of higher-performing solid rocket motors at the pace and volume the country requires and at a price the country can afford."

Raytheon has selected Ursa Major's advanced propulsion technology as a key enabler to provide affordable solutions for the U.S. Army at extended ranges. During the next phase of the program, Raytheon and Ursa Major will incorporate manufacturing improvements, leading toward additional flight tests in 2025 and qualification in 2026.

In 2023, RTX Ventures invested in Ursa Major to explore new rocket motor technologies and help address this national security requirement. Together, Raytheon and Ursa Major are responding to the U.S. Army's urgent need for affordable precision-guided munitions by rapidly developing a new generation of smart munitions, via investments in rocket motor development and testing to prove design stability and maturity.

RTX's Raytheon and Ursa Major conduct successful flight test

TUCSON, Ariz., Dec. 18, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Raytheon, anRTX (NYSE: RTX) business, and Ursa Major announced its advanced long-range solid rocket motor completed a successful missile flight test for the U.S. Army. The companies' combined experience and expertise in digital engineering was a...

www.rtx.com

 

[TomS]

Ok, maybe this is relevant:

SAM.gov

sam.gov

"Sources sought" announcement for alternative suppliers of GMLRS rockets from August. The timing fits -- this announcement was about 4 months ago. They could be testing the basic GMLRS rockets (<10 inches) now, with the intention of testing the ER rocket in the near future.

 

[bring_it_on]

Ok, maybe this is relevant:

SAM.gov

sam.gov

"Sources sought" announcement for alternative suppliers of GMLRS rockets from August. The timing fits -- this announcement was about 4 months ago. They could be testing the basic GMLRS rockets (<10 inches) now, with the intention of testing the ER rocket in the near future.

That's just a solicitation for the upcoming production lots for GMLRS. Its not a notice to find a second supplier for either the GMLRS or GMLRS ER magazine.

 

[TomS]

That's just a solicitation for the upcoming production lots for GMLRS. Its not a notice to find a second supplier for either the GMLRS or GMLRS ER magazine.

AvWeek thought otherwise (they certainly could be wrong, though)

U.S. Army Tests Competitive Bids For Future GMLRS Production | Aviation Week Network

Any new vendors face a high-bar for matching the volume of GMLRS production by Lockheed and propulsion supplier Northrop Grumman.

aviationweek.com

Army did go ahead with a multi-year award to LM, though.

 

[bring_it_on]

AvWeek thought otherwise (they certainly could be wrong, though)

U.S. Army Tests Competitive Bids For Future GMLRS Production | Aviation Week Network

Any new vendors face a high-bar for matching the volume of GMLRS production by Lockheed and propulsion supplier Northrop Grumman.

aviationweek.com

Army did go ahead with a multi-year award to LM, though.

Looks like something that they post before negotiating a contract. Raytheon certainly isn't sitting on a FY25 production capacity of 14K GMLRS rounds per year. That would be equivilant to them holding the entire Lockheed GMLRS production footprint idle.

 

[TomS]

Looks like something that they post before negotiating a contract. Raytheon certainly isn't sitting on a FY25 production capacity of 14K GMLRS rounds per year. That would be equivilant to them holding the entire Lockheed GMLRS production footprint idle.

Quite probably. But it is conceivable they are exploring the possibility of adding a second source.