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Hadley Engine. Photo courtesy of Ursa Major.
Hadley Engine. Photo courtesy of Ursa Major.
Hadley rocket engine hits sustained hypersonic speeds
ColoradoBiz Staff //May 9, 2025//
DENVER, Colo – May 5, 2025 — Ursa Major‘s Hadley rocket engine has successfully achieved sustained hypersonic speeds in two separate flight tests, marking a significant milestone in commercial and defense aerospace development, said the Berthoud, CO-based aerospace and defense company.
In Brief:
- Hadley engine achieves sustained hypersonic speeds in tests
- Flights exceeded objectives using Stratolaunch‘s TA-2 vehicle
- Testbed successfully recovered post-flight for reuse
- Engine supports faster, more capable U.S. defense missions
The tests, conducted since late 2024, powered Stratolaunch’s Talon-A2 (TA-2) hypersonic testbed vehicle and surpassed both performance and flight objectives. Following each flight, the TA-2 vehicle was recovered intact, enabling future reuse — a notable achievement in hypersonic testing.
“With these sustained hypersonic flights, Ursa Major and Stratolaunch are advancing the state of hypersonic technology,” said Dan Jablonsky, CEO of Ursa Major. “We’re responding to the needs of our military and government partners while solidifying our position as a leader in hypersonic propulsion.”
The Hadley engine delivers 5,000 pounds of thrust using a reusable, oxygen-rich staged combustion cycle powered by liquid oxygen and kerosene. It is designed for small launch vehicles and hypersonic platforms. Along with the two recent hypersonic tests, Hadley also completed a successful high-supersonic flight earlier in the year, bringing its 2024–2025 flight total to three.
Hadley is the first in a planned family of propulsion systems from Ursa Major, which includes liquid and solid rocket engines as well as in-space propulsion technologies. The company says the system supports the Department of Defense’s efforts to deploy new mission solutions quickly and with greater performance in speed, range, and payload capacity.
