Storable liquid rocket engine

Draper is a tactical, storable liquid rocket engine designed for rapid response applications, and in-space maneuverability.

It offers the same launch readiness and storability of a solid rocket motor, with the added benefits of restart capability, throttle control, and precise maneuverability with the flexibility to support new mission profiles, according to Ursa Major.

“As adversaries increase their activity in space and missile defense becomes more multidomain, Draper provides the responsiveness, control, and flexibility required for the U.S. to defend against emerging threats,” said Dan Jablonsky, CEO of Ursa Major.

“As a high-speed, affordable mass propulsion system, Draper represents a paradigm shift in defense propulsion on land, at sea, in the air, and now, in space.”

Draper’s use for hypersonic applications

Given its low part count and application of 100% American made with nearly two-thirds additively manufactured content, Draper is designed with affordable production at every stage of the engine’s development.

The latest contract builds on Draper’s rapid development timeline and follows a $28.6 million contract from the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory to demonstrate the engine in flight by the end of this calendar year, a testament to Ursa Major’s rapid, production-ready design approach. Under that contract, Ursa Major is serving as lead integrator for a tactical flight demonstrator that will showcase Draper’s use for hypersonic applications.

Ursa Major revealed that Draper operates on non-cryogenic, non-toxic propellants and uses a closed catalyst cycle. Successfully hot-fired more than 250 times, Draper is safe, reusable, storable for at least 10 years, and designed from the ground up using additive manufacturing to accelerate timelines while lowering cost and complexity.

Draper bears the storable characteristics of a solid motor with the higher performance and maneuverability of a liquid engine. Those qualities allow it to better simulate hypersonic threats as a target vehicle, which is a critical gap in America’s hypersonics capabilities today, according to Ursa Major.