Rocket engine startup Ursa Major adds 3D printing lab in Ohio

An Ursa Major employee prepares a Hadley engine chamber for transport after 3D printing is complete at the company’s Youngstown, Ohio, manufacturing facility. Credit: Ursa Major

WASHINGTON — Ursa Major, a rocket propulsion startup based in Colorado, opened a new additive manufacturing research center in Youngstown, Ohio, the company announced July 25.

Ursa Major uses 3D printing technology to produce rocket engine components and solid rocket motors.

Ursa Major’s expansion in Ohio builds upon its existing Advanced Manufacturing Lab, established in 2021 in partnership with America Makes. 

America Makes is a public-private partnership the U.S. government started in 2012 to help accelerate industrial competitiveness through the adoption of additive manufacturing.

Ursa Major said its new facility represents a $14.5 million capital investment, including $4 million from a JobsOhio grant.

The company currently holds contracts with the U.S. Department of Defense, including development work for the U.S. Air Force on propulsion technology for national security programs such as the Arroway engine, a reusable liquid oxygen and methane staged combustion engine for medium and heavy launch vehicles, which is expected to hotfire in 2025 with support from the Air Force Research Laboratory.

“Ursa Major is expanding its R&D efforts to meet a rapidly growing portfolio of U.S. Department of Defense development contracts,” said Joe Laurienti, CEO of Ursa Major.

The decision to expand 3D printing operations in Ohio, he said, was influenced by the state’s access to raw materials, suppliers, and a robust additive manufacturing ecosystem supported by the America Makes program.

Laurienti said the new center will focus on accelerating material development and qualification processes for aerospace applications of additive manufacturing. This includes developing metallic alloys for solid rocket motors and copper and nickel alloys for liquid rocket engines.

The facility will house advanced 3D printers for rapid prototyping and material development, aimed at speeding up innovation in propulsion technology. 

Sandra Erwin writes about military space programs, policy, technology and the industry that supports this sector. She has covered the military, the Pentagon, Congress and the defense industry for nearly two decades as editor of NDIA’s National Defense…
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