Ursa Major – Weekly Recap

Ursa Major is emerging as a more integrated defense and space systems player, and this weekly recap reviews its latest strategic moves and capacity investments. The company is transitioning from a pure propulsion supplier to a scaled manufacturer capable of delivering full systems for deterrence-focused defense applications.

Ursa Major highlighted CEO Christopher Spagnoletti’s industry keynote at the Defense Manufacturing Conference in Orlando, where he stressed that innovation must be matched by scaled, reliable production. The message positions the company as a contributor to the U.S. defense industrial base, aligned with Pentagon priorities on deterrence and rapid fielding.

The company reported major upgrades across its facilities, including expanded machining capacity that supports more than 200% throughput. It also cited a 10x increase in additive manufacturing scale, aimed at faster, more flexible production as it moves from propulsion components toward full-system manufacturing.

Ursa Major has activated a 400-acre solid rocket motor test site designed to accelerate qualification cycles and reduce technical risk. In parallel, it added an ISO-certified clean room dedicated to in-space propulsion systems, supporting compliance with stringent defense and space standards.

On the product side, the company showcased its HAVOC Hypersonic Missile System concept and Affordable Rapid Missile Demonstrator flight, featured in Popular Mechanics. HAVOC is described as a new class of U.S. hypersonic missile leveraging the Draper liquid engine for throttling and mid-flight maneuverability.

Ursa Major emphasizes HAVOC’s lighter build and multi-domain deployment potential, with concepts for launches from aircraft, ground platforms, and possibly space systems. This flexibility underscores the firm’s effort to become a differentiated propulsion and systems supplier in the emerging hypersonic weapons market.

Across these updates, Ursa Major is signaling a strategy centered on vertical integration, higher volume manufacturing, and advanced test infrastructure to support defense and space customers. While financial details and contract values were not disclosed, the week’s developments point to a company deepening its industrial footprint and broadening its role in critical defense supply chains.