The Pentagon has awarded a $12.5 million contract to Ursa Major, a rocket-building startup company. The funding will support the testing and production of a new solid rocket motor prototype. The contract was issued under the Defense Department’s Transition Acceleration Program of the Office of Strategic Capital.
This office aims to increase diversity within America’s defense supply chain. Ursa Major’s work on the motors will contribute to the Advanced Manufacturing Pathfinder program. The Pentagon wants to foster stronger partnerships with smaller private investments.
This will enhance the development of critical weapons technologies at a faster rate. Ursa Major announced that it received the contract from the Department of Defense’s Office of Strategic Capital (OSC) and the U.S. Navy. The company will match the funding, bringing the total allocation for the effort to $25 million.
The $12.5 million investment also marks the first publicly announced funding from the OSC. The office aims to attract more private capital to defense technology but struggled to secure its proposed $144 million budget through Congress. The Navy’s investment shows the government’s desire for innovations in rocket motor production.
The war in Ukraine has stretched the U.S.’s supply of solid rocket motors thin.
Ursa Major accelerates rocket motor production
Bill Murray, Ursa Major’s chief product officer, said that the motors “we have to replace will take anywhere between five and 18 years at the current rate of production.” He emphasized that it boils down to outdated production techniques.
Traditional manufacturing can take over a year, whereas Ursa Major’s reliance on 3D printing allows the company to produce parts in less than a month. By utilizing additive manufacturing, Ursa Major can streamline production, replacing dozens of welded parts with single solid pieces. Founded in 2015, Ursa Major has previously landed government contracts, including one from the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory to develop an engine for hypersonic launch.
Murray said this latest investment indicates the military’s commitment to supporting innovative technology. “It’s the Navy saying that they want a startup to come in and help shape the industry for the future,” he said. The funding will support the design, manufacture, and testing of a solid rocket motor prototype for the U.S. Navy.
The Pentagon’s initiative aims to diversify its supplier base, addressing concerns over reliance on a shrinking pool of domestic suppliers for solid rocket motors. “We are proud to work with OSC on their mandate for expanding the defense industrial base by bringing new innovations into the DoD ecosystem,” said Dan Jablonsky, chief executive of the company. Jablonsky highlighted the company’s new manufacturing approach called Lynx, which leverages 3D printing technology to enhance the production of solid rocket motors.
This approach aims for a faster, more cost-effective, and scalable process compared to traditional methods. The OSC, established in 2022 and formally enacted by Congress in 2024, aims to leverage U.S. capital markets to increase private investment in technologies vital to the Department of Defense’s needs. It provides both direct investments and loan guarantees for projects that may not attract sufficient private funding through traditional procurement methods.
