WASHINGTON — Rocket engine startup Ursa Major is targeting the solid rocket motors market, the corporate announced Nov. 20.
CEO Joe Laurienti said the corporate sees a chance to make use of additive manufacturing, sometimes called 3D printing, to disrupt an industry constrained by outdated processes.
The production of solid rocket motors in america is “tormented by a broken supply chain and an overextended industrial base,” Laurienti said. “Most folk weren’t really listening to the commercial base around this until Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.”
Solid rocket motors use solid propellants relatively than liquid fuels, and are most generally utilized in military weapon systems like missiles and rockets.
Northrop Grumman and L3Harris’ Aerojet Rocketdyne are the nation’s primary suppliers of solid rocket motors.
The conflict in Ukraine has exposed cracks within the U.S. industrial base, which has struggled to satisfy surging demand for critical munitions just like the Javelin and Stinger missile systems that rely upon solid rocket motors. Experts say replacing depleted stocks can take years under current production rates.
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Laurienti said traditional solid rocket motor providers depend on production lines which can be expensive to retool and ramp up, and believes 3D printing techniques — which Ursa Major adopted to construct liquid rocket engines — could bring agility to solid propulsion manufacturing.
The corporate intends to develop motors from 2 to 22.5 inches in diameter, sizes that cover many in-demand tactical weapon systems. It recently tested a six-inch pathfinder prototype, Laurienti said.
Ursa Major manufactures liquid engines for small rockets in Berthoud, Colorado, and has a 3D printing lab in Youngstown, Ohio.
Laurienti said the corporate has an undisclosed U.S. government customer for its solid rocket motors. The goal is to produce motors to the Department of Defense, he said, and likewise to partner with other manufacturers.
Recent suppliers of solid rockets
Ursa Major is one among at the least three startups which can be attempting to interrupt into the solid rocket motors business despite the longstanding dominance of incumbents Northrop Grumman and Aerojet Rocketdyne.
Seven-year-old X-Bow Systems makes a speciality of additive manufacturing of solid rocket propellant, and plans to construct a production facility in Luling, Texas. The corporate recently announced Lockheed Martin Ventures as one among its investors.
One other latest entrant, Adranos, manufactures tactical solid rocket motors in coastal Mississippi and was recently acquired by the defense contractor Anduril.