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Series B for RDRE
Venus Aerospace, a Houston-based rotating detonation rocket engine (RDRE) startup, announced the close of a $91 million Series B financing round to scale RDRE development and production for near-term defense and space applications.
“- Venus Aerospace, a Houston, TX-based rotating detonation rocket engine (RDRE) technology company, raised $91M in Series B funding”
The company says its RDRE uses a continuous supersonic detonation wave that rotates around the combustion chamber rather than subsonic combustion, and it describes the result as “the most efficient rocket engine architecture ever flown, by a margin of 15 percent.”
Venus Aerospace also said it conducted the world’s first flight test of a high-thrust RDRE in May 2025 at Spaceport America in New Mexico, and that milestone was met in just over four years on $80 million in capital.
The new funding is intended to move the propulsion system “from successful flight demonstration toward deployment,” and it is led by Mercury Fund with participation from Lockheed Martin Ventures, MESH, PEAK6, Draper Associates, Starboard Star Venture Capital, and Green Sands Equity.
In its announcement, Venus Aerospace framed the scaling effort as a shift from flight testing toward full propulsion systems, while keeping the engine built from 3D-printed components and standard materials designed for domestic manufacturing at scale.
Voices on scaling
Venus Aerospace co-founder and CEO Sassie Duggleby said the financing is “an important step in moving Venus from breakthrough demonstration to scaled capability,” adding that “Our customers need propulsion systems that go farther, can be produced reliably and are built on supply chains they can trust.”
Lockheed Martin Ventures vice president and general manager Chris Moran said Venus has progressed quickly since its initial investment and that reinvestment recognizes “focus on speed to manufacture, cost management and reduction of supply chain constraints.”
The company’s RDRE is described as reusable and throttleable, with a common propulsion architecture intended to serve multiple mission types ranging from munitions and space launch to orbital transfer vehicles and lunar landers.
In a separate account, SpaceNews reported that the financing follows milestones including Venus’ May test of a 2,000-pound-thrust rotating detonation rocket engine launched from Spaceport America in New Mexico.
SpaceNews also reported that Venus was among five companies selected by the Texas Space Commission for state support, receiving $3.9 million to build a rocket engine test facility in Houston.
What comes next
Venus Aerospace said the Series B round will fund engine development and manufacturing as it scales production of its rotating detonation rocket engine technology from flight testing toward operational deployment.
“flight funding Venus Aerospace closes $91 million Series B to scale hypersonic engine Houston-based Venus Aerospace has closed a $91 million Series B round and plans to scale the production of its hypersonic engine”
In its description of the propulsion concept, Venus said the RDRE generates thrust using a continuously rotating detonation wave rather than conventional combustion, and it positioned the design for applications ranging from hypersonic vehicles to space transportation.
The company also said its reusable, throttleable engine is intended for a range of missions, including munitions, space launch vehicles, orbital transfer vehicles and lunar landers, while emphasizing domestic manufacturing.
TechCrunch reported that Venus’ plans shifted after its May 2025 flight test, when “the world looked at us and said, ‘oh my gosh, you have a working RDRE, would you sell us one?’,” according to CEO Sassie Duggleby.
TechCrunch added that Venus’ longest firing during 600 tests was 32 seconds, and it said it will likely need to burn for at least six to 15 minutes to meet customer goals as it moves toward low-rate production and follow-on scaling.
