Ursa Major’s Draper Engine Powers AFRL Supersonic Missile Demo in Eight Months from Contract to Flight

New updates have been reported about Ursa Major.

Ursa Major has validated its storable liquid rocket technology in flight, powering the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Affordable Rapid Missile Demonstrator with its Draper engine to supersonic speeds and proving key concepts of operation for rapid global strike. Executives at both organizations positioned the test as a foundational step toward mass-producible, low-cost missile systems designed to enhance U.S. deterrence and future warfighting capability.

According to CEO Chris Spagnoletti, Ursa Major took the Draper-powered vehicle from contract award to a flight-ready, fully integrated round in just eight months, underscoring the company’s ability to meet compressed defense timelines with complex propulsion systems. The Draper engine builds on years of development of Ursa Major’s Hadley liquid rocket platform and sits within an ongoing AFRL contract focused on in-flight characterization of the technology, reinforcing a long-term public‑private partnership aimed at delivering scalable, affordable liquid engines for next‑generation hypersonic, missile, and space applications.