Venus Aerospace had the first-ever U.S. flight test of a rotating detonation rocket engine (RDRE)—a next-gen propulsion technology that’s been theorized for decades, but never flown… until now. The Rotating Detonation Rocket Engine (RDRE) changes everything, and Venus is the first venture-backed aerospace company to bring the RDRE from concept to commercialization. RDREs are a breakthrough technology for rocket propulsion, which have the potential to offer several benefits over traditional rocket engines.
Venus Aerospace’s RDRE can amplify performance on rocket-powered products currently on the market.
Venus Aerospace has pioneered the world’s most efficient hypersonic engines, positioning itself as a leader in the emerging hypersonic economy. Capable of speeds up to 4,600 mph – nearly six times the speed of sound – Venus’ revolutionary VDR2 engine has the potential to enable commercial flights from Los Angeles to Tokyo in under two hours.
They have a new round of funding from the America’s Frontier Fund. Venus aims to advance its cutting-edge VDR2 engine. By integrating RDRE’s efficiency with air-augmentation technology capable of 2,000 pounds of thrust, the VDR2 engine will operate at even wider ranges of speeds and altitudes, a feat previously thought impossible until Mach 3.5. The company has a target to ground test the VDR2 later this year.
Venus’s groundbreaking engine technology will eventually power the Stargazer M4, the world’s first Mach 4, reusable commercial aircraft. As the pinnacle of Venus’s innovation, Stargazer represents the ultimate realization of their advanced propulsion systems.
Leveraging the Venus RDRE Ramjet, our vehicle will accelerate from taxi to cruise speeds of Mach 4 at 110,000 feet with a top speed capable of Mach 9.
Last fall, the company unveiled a high-speed engine system that enables takeoff, acceleration, and hypersonic cruise—all powered by a single engine architecture. While most high-speed systems require multiple engines to operate at different speeds, Venus’s approach eliminates the cost, weight, and complexity of traditional propulsion technology.
The system delivers rocket-like takeoff power and jet-like cruise efficiency—all in a remarkably compact form. Its elegant simplicity unlocks major advantages in speed, range, reusability, and cost—enabling a vehicle to accelerate from runway to Mach 5+ without changing engines.
The Venus system supports a wide range of applications, including:
Spacecraft landers
Low Earth orbit satellites
Space cargo transfer vehicles
Rocket kick-stages
Hypersonic drones and missiles
Brian Wang is a Futurist Thought Leader and a popular Science blogger with 1 million readers per month. His blog Nextbigfuture.com is ranked #1 Science News Blog. It covers many disruptive technology and trends including Space, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Medicine, Anti-aging Biotechnology, and Nanotechnology.
Known for identifying cutting edge technologies, he is currently a Co-Founder of a startup and fundraiser for high potential early-stage companies. He is the Head of Research for Allocations for deep technology investments and an Angel Investor at Space Angels.
A frequent speaker at corporations, he has been a TEDx speaker, a Singularity University speaker and guest at numerous interviews for radio and podcasts. He is open to public speaking and advising engagements.
