Rocket engine startup Venus Aerospace raises $91 million in investment capital
Following a successful suborbital test flight of its rotating detonation rocket engine (RDRE) in May, the rocket engine startup Venus Aerospace has now raised an additional $91 million in private investment capital, on top of $80 million raised previously.
Venus Aerospace today announced the close of a $91 million Series B financing led by Mercury Fund, a Houston-based venture capital firm, with participation from Lockheed Martin Ventures, MESH, PEAK6, Draper Associates, Starboard Star Venture Capital, Green Sands Equity, Seraph Group, Trousdale Ventures, and other new and existing strategic and institutional investors.
…Unlike conventional rocket engines, which burn fuel through subsonic combustion,Venus’ RDRE employs a continuous supersonic detonation wave that rotates around the combustion chamber. The result is the most efficient rocket engine architecture ever flown, by a margin of 15 percent.
The company intends to develop the engine for sale to many rocket companies and across many platforms. It already had a significant investment from Lockheed Martin, which tested its own RDRE engine in January 2026.
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