Colorado company wins contract for 3D-printed rocket engines [Video]

BERTHOUD, Colo. — Ursa Major, a Colorado-based rocket propulsion startup said Monday it has landed a follow-on contract award from America Makes to qualify its copper additive manufacturing process for hypersonic flight.

Under the contract, America Makes — the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute — would invest $4 million and Ursa Major would put $1 million toward maturing the production readiness of Ursa Major’s 3D printing process for making Draper and Hadley rocket engines that could be used in space vehicles that travel faster than the speed of sound, the rocket engine maker said Monday.

Over the next 21 months, Ursa Major will use its third America Makes contract award to move its copper additive manufacturing capability into flight-qualified hardware for the National Center for Defense Manufacturing …