US-built reusable liquid rocket engine completes 10 flights, hits hypersonic speeds

Ursa Major said its Hadley reusable liquid rocket engine completed 10 consecutive flights, including missions at sustained hypersonic speeds.

The result shows the engine can be refired and reused after extreme flight conditions, a key hurdle for hypersonic propulsion.

The milestone points to cheaper, faster development for defense and commercial launch systems, including platforms like Stratolaunch’s Talon-A.