Vaya Space Announces $4 Million Strategic Partnership with Velo3D to Advance Additive Manufacturing for Space Propulsion

COCOA, FL, UNITED STATES, June 11, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Vaya Space, a space and defense company developing breakthrough hybrid rocket systems on Florida’s Space Coast, today announced a strategic partnership with Velo3D, Inc. (OTCQX: VLDX), a leader in additive manufacturing (AM) technology known for transforming aerospace and defense supply chains through world-class metal AM. The two companies have signed a $4 million, two-year Master Services Agreement (MSA) to collaborate on high-performance additive manufacturing R&D and production.

Vaya Space selected Velo3D as a key strategic partner in its propulsion development roadmap. Through the agreement, Vaya Space will leverage Velo3D’s Rapid Production Solution (RPS) to accelerate production of critical propulsion system components and meet key development timelines. Utilizing Velo3D’s Sapphire printer platform, Vaya Space will print parts in both GRCop42—a NASA-developed copper alloy for high-heat transfer and strength—and Inconel 718, a nickel superalloy known for strength and thermal resilience in aerospace applications. Vaya currently uses the Sapphire platform to produce the world’s first expander cycle hybrid rocket engine; under the agreement, the two companies will work together to optimize Sapphire’s printing parameters, increasing part quality and reducing unit cost and production time.

As part of the partnership, Velo3D will serve as Vaya Space’s exclusive provider of GRCop42 additive components, delivering guaranteed capacity, advanced engineering support, and Flow™ software training to streamline design-to-production cycles for propulsion assemblies including nozzles, injectors, and turbopumps. The two companies will work collaboratively to produce high-quality engine components for aerospace and defense applications faster and at a lower cost than traditionally achievable. The combination of Velo's closed loop in-situ monitoring with Vaya's fuel grain and tank manufacturing processes will enable full hybrid rocket engines to be produced in days, with the ability to adjust designs and tailor performance profiles to meet the demands of any mission profile.

“Additive manufacturing plays a central role in our ability to reduce design complexity, increase performance, and scale production,” said Aaron Blankenship, Vice President of Operations at Vaya Space. “Velo3D offers the production readiness, material capabilities, and deep technical partnership we need to bring our vision to life and deliver flight-ready engines on schedule.”

“This partnership is a powerful example of how our Rapid Production Solution helps scale complex hardware manufacturing for today’s most ambitious aerospace companies,” said Dr. Arun Jeldi, CEO of Velo3D. “By combining our capabilities in GRCop42 and Inconel 718 with deep engineering collaboration, we’re helping Vaya Space achieve faster, more cost-effective production—right here in the United States.”

The agreement includes a joint marketing roadmap and formal signing event at Vaya Space’s testing facility in Cocoa, Florida, where one of the propulsion systems produced with Velo3D parts will be on display.

About Vaya Space
Vaya Space is a privately owned company based on the Space Coast and leveraging patented Vortex-Hybrid engine technology to disrupt both the Space and Defense markets.

About Velo3D
Velo3D is a metal 3D printing technology company. 3D printing—also known as additive manufacturing (AM)—has a unique ability to improve the way high-value metal parts are built. However, legacy metal AM has been greatly limited in its capabilities since its invention almost 30 years ago. This has prevented the technology from being used to create the most valuable and impactful parts, restricting its use to specific niches where the limitations were acceptable.
Velo3D has overcome these limitations so engineers can design and print the parts they want. The company's solution unlocks a wide breadth of design freedom and enables customers in space exploration, aviation, power generation, energy, and semiconductor to innovate the future in their respective industries. Using Velo3D, these customers can now build mission-critical metal parts that were previously impossible to manufacture. The fully integrated solution includes the Flow print preparation software, the Sapphire family of printers, and the Assure quality control system—all of which are powered by Velo3D's Intelligent Fusion manufacturing process. The company delivered its first Sapphire system in 2018 and has been a strategic partner to innovators such as SpaceX, Honeywell, Honda, Chromalloy, and Lam Research. Velo3D has been named as one of Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies for 2024. For more information, please visit Velo3D.com, or follow the company on LinkedIn or Twitter.

Mary Baldino
Vaya Space
+ 13214465905
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