Colorado Keeps Its Rocket Maker: Ursa Major Bets on 1,850 Jobs

Berthoud. A town most people blow right past on the way up 287. And sitting there is a company that builds rocket and missile propulsion for hypersonics, solid rocket motors, in-space mobility, and space launch. That last one is worth reading twice.

For the last couple of years the story in this state has been the same sad song. Colorado keeps losing employers. Companies get courted by Texas, by Utah, by whoever is waving the biggest check, and they pack up and go. So when a homegrown aerospace outfit actually chooses to stay, that is news worth your attention.

On Thursday, July 16, 2026, Daniel Salvetti, the state's leading semiconductor economic development official, stood up at a Colorado Economic Development Commission meeting and confirmed it. Ursa Major Technologies is keeping its next big expansion right here. Projected to add about 1,850 new jobs over eight years. That is one of the largest incentivized projects Colorado has landed in years.

The secret code name

Here is the part people miss. During the negotiations, nobody knew who they were dealing with. The project was code-named "Project Ladybug." The paperwork described it as building propulsion systems for hypersonics, solid rocket motors, in-space mobility, and space launch. Which, if you know this company at all, is Ursa Major describing itself almost word for word.

So it was one of those open secrets. The state was fighting to keep a company it could not officially name, and everyone in the room probably knew exactly who Ladybug was.

Follow the money

Let me walk you through the dollars, because they stacked up in pieces.

Back in December 2025, the EDC approved two sets of incentives for the project. $35 million in job growth tax incentives, plus $8 million in CHIPS refundable tax credits. That was the down payment, basically, while the company decided whether to stay or bolt.

Then on July 16, 2026, after Ursa Major gave its firm commitment, the commission added another

5 million in semiconductor-related refundable tax credits. Do the math and you land at roughly $58 million total.

Now, $58 million of public money to keep one company is the kind of number that makes people nervous, and honestly it should spark a conversation. But the flip side is 1,850 jobs and a company that an EDC memo said the state wanted to "maintain their headquarters and center of gravity in Colorado." Center of gravity. I like that. It means the brains and the bosses stay here, not just a warehouse.

Who is Ursa Major, actually

Founded in 2015. Per Built In Colorado, they are running around 330 employees right now across three offices. So this is not some sleepy legacy shop. This is a company that has been climbing hard.

And the timing tells the story. In 2025 they won more than

15 million in contracts. In November 2025 they raised

00 million in a Series E funding round to scale up missile production. That is a company pouring gas on the fire, not coasting.

They also built and started operating a new facility this year on a 400-acre site in Galeton. If you do not know Galeton, it is a small Weld County community north of Greeley. That site is designed to expand their missile capacity. So the growth is already physically happening on the ground, north of town, before this latest deal even closed.

There was a leadership shakeup too. In February 2026, Chris Spagnoletti, who had been president of liquid systems, got promoted to CEO. New leader, fresh

00 million in the bank, a mountain of contracts, and now a state incentive package. That is a company setting up for a very big run.

Why this hits home

Here is the thing. Jobs like this are not the kind you fill overnight. Aerospace and defense propulsion means engineers, machinists, technical people making real salaries. 1,850 of them phased in over eight years along the northern Front Range.

And that ripples straight into the neighborhoods. Berthoud, Loveland, Longmont, Greeley, Windsor. These are the towns that catch the overflow when a company like this scales. The northern Front Range housing market has been a strange animal, softer in some pockets than the metro core, and a steady wave of high-paying technical jobs is exactly the kind of demand that firms up a market. If you own out there, this is the sort of headline you want in your back pocket. If you are thinking about buying out there, keep an eye on Berthoud and Galeton, because employment centers move maps.

So after all the talk about Colorado losing the talent war, one company in a town people usually skip planted its flag and said we are staying. 1,850 jobs. Roughly $58 million on the table. A code name straight out of a spy novel.

Not a bad week for a rocket maker off 287.