Venus Aerospace Raises $90M Series B to Advance Its Revolutionary Rotating Detonation Rocket Engine

In the world of aerospace innovation, a breakthrough in propulsion technology often opens doors far beyond what its creators originally imagined. That is exactly what has happened at Venus Aerospace, which today announced it has secured $90 million in Series B funding to accelerate the development and commercialization of its Rotating Detonation Rocket Engine (RDRE), a next-generation propulsion system that promises greater efficiency, power, and versatility than traditional rocket engines.

The investment round was led by Mercury Fund, with strong participation from major industry players including Lockheed Martin Ventures, MESH, PEAK6, Draper Associates, Starboard Star Venture Capital, and Green Sands Equity. The capital will be used to expand testing infrastructure, refine engine performance, and collaborate closely with government and commercial partners to adapt the technology for operational use.

From Passenger Jets to Defense and Space Solutions

Founded in 2020 by husband-and-wife team Sassie Duggleby (CEO) and Andrew Duggleby (CTO), Venus Aerospace began with an ambitious vision: to build hypersonic passenger aircraft capable of flying anywhere on Earth in just one hour. The goal was to develop a cleaner, faster way to travel, using advanced propulsion systems that would reduce travel times without sacrificing sustainability.

But the company’s trajectory shifted dramatically in May 2025, when it successfully conducted the first-ever flight test of a rocket powered by an RDRE. That milestone caught the attention of the entire aerospace and defense industry, sparking demand no one had anticipated.

“When we flew last May, the world looked at us and said, ‘Oh my gosh, you have a working RDRE, would you sell us one?’ And that wasn’t what we were expecting,” Sassie Duggleby told TechCrunch.

As a result, Venus has now redirected its primary focus toward defense and space applications. The technology is being positioned as a replacement for the solid rocket motors currently used in many missile systems, as well as a more powerful and efficient engine for high-speed space vehicles.

“Our propulsion architecture combines efficiency, throttling capability, reusability, and manufacturability in a way that directly meets the needs of customers for real defense and space missions,” Andrew Duggleby explained in a statement. “We are focused on translating technical progress into reliable systems that can be deployed operationally.”

How the Rotating Detonation Engine Works

The concept behind the RDRE is not new it was first proposed in the mid-20th century as a theoretical improvement over conventional combustion engines. In a standard rocket engine, fuel and oxidizer are mixed and burned at subsonic speeds inside a combustion chamber, generating thrust through steady deflagration. While reliable, this method is energy-intensive and results in some wasted propellant.

The RDRE changes this process entirely. Instead of slow, steady burning, it creates a continuous, supersonic wave of combustion that rotates around a circular channel. This detonation wave compresses the propellant far more efficiently, producing significantly more thrust from the same amount of fuel. In theory, this makes the engine lighter, more powerful, and more economical to operate.

For decades, however, the technology remained confined to textbooks and research papers. The physics of controlling a sustained detonation wave are extremely complex, and the intense heat and pressure generated by the process posed enormous engineering challenges most notably preventing the engine from overheating or melting.

Overcoming the Technical Barriers

Advancements in recent years have finally made the RDRE a practical possibility. The rise of high-precision 3D printing has allowed engineers to create intricate cooling channels and durable components that can withstand extreme conditions, while advanced computer simulations have made it easier to model and control the combustion process.

The first successful ground tests were conducted at the University of Central Florida in 2020. In 2021, Japan’s space agency JAXA briefly operated an RDRE in space, followed by NASA’s first full-scale ground demonstration in 2022. But it was Venus Aerospace’s test in May 2025 that marked the turning point: the first time an engine of this type actually lifted a rocket off the ground and kept it in flight.

“When we first started Venus, the whole idea was that there’s a new kind of rocket engine that could produce more heat, more thrust, and better efficiency but the big question was, could we keep it from melting?” Sassie Duggleby recalled. “For the last four years, that’s been the core of our work. And today, we can say confidently: we’ve solved that problem.”

So far, the company has completed more than 600 tests, with the longest continuous burn lasting 32 seconds. While this is a major achievement, operational requirements demand far longer durations typically between six and 15 minutes for missions ranging from atmospheric flight to orbital insertion.

To meet this goal, Venus has recently received a grant from the Texas Space Commission to construct a larger, more advanced test stand. This facility will allow the team to run longer-duration burns, test under conditions that simulate real-world flight, and validate the engine’s reliability over time.

What This Means for the Future

With the new funding in place, Venus Aerospace is moving from experimental development to industrial application. The RDRE’s ability to deliver higher performance with less fuel offers clear advantages for both military and commercial use. In defense systems, it can extend range, increase speed, and allow for more precise control. In space launch vehicles, it can reduce costs, lower weight, and make launches more efficient.

Even as priorities shift, the company’s original vision has not been completely abandoned. If the technology proves successful in its current roles, it could eventually be scaled back to its initial goal of enabling hypersonic passenger travel. For now, however, the focus is clear: building a rocket engine that can change how we move through the atmosphere and beyond.