Ursa Major Technologies

HardwareBerthoud, Colorado, USA (Headquarters & Production Facility); Youngstown, Ohio (R&D)Founded 2015· One of 1804 Hardware companies tracked by AMPulse

Ursa Major Technologies develops and manufactures high-performance rocket propulsion systems leveraging advanced additive manufacturing to reduce production lead times and costs.

CEO / Founder: Chris Spagnoletti
Team Size: 201-500
Stage: Active
Total Funding: $492.7M
Latest Round: Series E
Key Investors: Explorer 1 Fund, Eclipse Ventures, RTX Ventures (Raytheon), Alsop Louie Partners, Harpoon Ventures, XN, Woodline Partners, Principia Growth

Technology & Products

Key Products

Ursa Major develops and manufactures rocket engines for customers in the space launch and hypersonics industries, and the US Federal Government. Products include the Hadley engine (liquid oxygen and kerosene) and Arroway (methane-LOX engine).

Technological Advantage

Drastically reduces production lead times from years to months while minimizing part counts and increasing flexibility.

Differentiation

Value Proposition

Provides flexible, cost-effective propulsion solutions with rapid production cycles, high design flexibility, and reduced part counts.

How They Differentiate

Focuses exclusively on propulsion hardware and leverages advanced additive manufacturing for faster, cost-effective, and flexible engine production.

Market & Competition

Target Customers

U.S. Department of Defense, defense prime contractors, commercial launch providers, and hypersonic system developers

Industry Verticals

["Aerospace","Defense","Space Launch","Hypersonics"]

Competitors

Blue Origin, SpaceX, Aerojet Rocketdyne, Rocket Lab

Growth & Milestones

Growth Metrics

Rapid employee growth and significant engine hotfire milestones, with multi-engine orders indicating strong market traction.

Major Milestones

["Founded in 2015","First Hadley engine hotfire in 2017","Secured multiple contracts with USAF and US Navy","Introduction of Ripley and Arroway engines","Large commercial engine order from Phantom Space in 2023","Delivery of engines to Stratolaunch for hypersonic testbed in 2023","Secured $138M Series D/D-1 funding round in 2023","Expansion with R&D site in Youngstown, Ohio in 2024","Appointment of Dan Jablonsky as CEO in August 2024"]

Notable Customers

New Space startups, enterprise-level aerospace leaders, and the U.S. government.

https://www.ursamajor.com

Recent coverage of Ursa Major Technologies

Why this company matters

Ursa Major Technologies is an independent developer and manufacturer of liquid rocket engines for the space launch, hypersonics, and defense sectors. Based in Berthoud, Colorado, the company was founded in 2015 to address the need for flexible, cost-effective propulsion with faster production cycles than traditional aerospace suppliers. Its proprietary use of metal powder bed fusion (LPBF) enables high design flexibility and reduced part counts, compressing engine development and delivery timelines.

The company's core product line includes the Hadley engine, a liquid oxygen and kerosene design, and the Arroway methane-LOX engine. These engines serve a range of applications from small satellite launchers to hypersonic testbeds. Ursa Major's additive manufacturing approach allows it to produce complex geometries that would be impossible or prohibitively expensive with conventional machining, and to iterate designs rapidly in response to customer requirements.

Ursa Major's customer base spans the U.S. Department of Defense, defense prime contractors, and commercial launch providers. Notable partnerships include the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory, the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Space Force, Stratolaunch, and Phantom Space. In 2023, the company secured a large commercial engine order from Phantom Space and delivered engines to Stratolaunch for its hypersonic testbed. The company also expanded its R&D footprint with a site in Youngstown, Ohio in 2024.

Ursa Major competes with vertically integrated players such as Blue Origin, SpaceX, and Rocket Lab, as well as legacy propulsion houses like Aerojet Rocketdyne. Its differentiation lies in focusing exclusively on propulsion hardware and leveraging metal LPBF to offer faster, more flexible production. The company has raised approximately $493 million from investors including Explorer 1 Fund, Eclipse Ventures, and RTX Ventures. A key open question is whether its independent engine supply model can scale to compete with the internal propulsion capabilities of major launch integrators.