This Texas rocket builder’s high-tech ring of fire could revolutionize aerospace
One early morning in May 2025 at Spaceport America, a desert basin on the outskirts of Las Cruces, New Mexico, a silver rocket shot through the air. Launches aren’t a rare occurrence at the commercial launch site, but this test flight wasn’t an everyday event. A century after Robert Goddard launched his first liquid-fueled rocket , the flight by Venus Aerospace, a Texas-based startup, may have…
In May 2025, at Spaceport America in New Mexico, a silver rocket marked a significant milestone in aerospace technology. Launched by Venus Aerospace, a Texas-based startup, this test flight marked the first successful U.S. flight of a rotating detonation rocket engine (RDRE) - a technology that may revolutionize aerospace. The RDRE, theorized since the 1980s, harnesses a continuous detonation wave around a ring-shaped chamber, generating increased thrust with less fuel.
Venus Aerospace's cofounders, Sarah and Andrew Duggleby, believe their RDRE rockets can double payload capacity and achieve hypersonic flight. Since its inception two years ago, Venus has raised nearly $140 million, including a $91 million Series B in June, and employed 113 people. Interest in their RDRE technology has soared amid accelerated spending on defense, commercial space development, and aerospace technology.
The Dugglebys' decision to quit their jobs at Virgin Orbit and pursue RDRE development was inspired by a university study proving the feasibility of the engine. The startup's close proximity to the Houston Spaceport allows for efficient testing and development, with the company aiming to manufacture and deploy RDRE technology across defense, space, and aerospace industries.
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