Ursa Major Successfully Hot-Fires Latest Hadley Engine Variant — Powers Hypersonic Test Vehicle

Ursa Major, the Colorado-based rocket engine company, has successfully completed a hot-fire test of the latest variant of its Hadley engine, marking another milestone in the development of American-made rocket engines for hypersonic and space applications.

Strategic Vertical Integration

According to the company, major components for this latest Hadley variant have been in-sourced as part of Ursa Major's strategic vertical integration approach. This means Ursa Major is manufacturing more of the engine's components in-house rather than relying on external suppliers—a strategy aimed at reducing supply chain dependencies and improving production speed.

The Hadley Engine

Hadley is a 5,000-pound-thrust (lbf) liquid oxygen and kerosene engine using an oxygen-rich staged combustion cycle. It's designed specifically for:

• Small launch vehicles — Capable of powering micro and small satellites to orbit
• Hypersonic applications — Powers test vehicles at sustained hypersonic speeds
• Reusability — Designed for multiple flights with minimal refurbishment

The engine has now flown successfully multiple times, including flights with Stratolaunch's Talon-A hypersonic test vehicle.

Why This Matters

Ursa Major positions itself as a domestic alternative to foreign rocket engines, particularly those from Russia that were historically used in American launch vehicles. With increasing focus on national security space access, Hadley represents a capability gap-filler for defense and commercial applications.

The successful hot-fire of this latest variant demonstrates continued progress in bringing the engine to full production capability.