WASHINGTON, Sept 17 (Askume) – U.S. rocket propulsion startup Ursa Major said on Tuesday it had won a $12.5 million contract to produce and test a new solid-fuel rocket engine.
The contract, though small, is part of a larger Pentagon effort to boost the number of rocket manufacturers as the ongoing war between Ukraine and Israel continues to deplete supplies.
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The agreement includes some initial funds allocated by the Pentagon’s Strategic Capital Office to spur investment in the defense industrial base supply chain. The U.S. Navy also provided $12.5 million in matching Ursa Major funding, which will eventually cost $25 million, to expand the company’s solid rocket motor capabilities.
The investment will support Ursa Major’s efforts to expand its solid rocket motor manufacturing process under the Strategic Capital Office’s Transformation Acceleration program, which is designed to fund the development of future defense products.
Separately, earlier this year the Navy awarded RTX Corp (RTX.N) a contract to meet growing demand for M104 engines used in its Standard family of missiles. What happens next
Ursa Major’s contribution to the investment will be used to complete the Advanced Manufacturing Pathfinder program, which includes the design, fabrication and testing of solid rocket motor prototypes.
Tuesday’s award is significant because it is the first to be given by the Strategic Capital Office, a fund set up to spur public and private investment in technologies critical to national security.
