Venus Aerospace, a Houston-based developer of rotating detonation rocket engines, has raised $91 million in Series B funding led by Mercury Fund with participation from Lockheed Martin Ventures. The company is advancing its Rotating Detonation Rocket Engine (RDRE), which delivers 15% more efficiency than any rocket engine in history through supersonic detonation waves instead of traditional combustion. The capital will fund engine development and manufacturing to move from flight testing toward operational deployment.
Hypersonics Funding Accelerates Defense Push
The timing comes amid surging investment in hypersonic technologies. Hermeus raised $350M Series C in April 2026, while Castelion secured $350M Series B in December 2025. Venus's single integrated RDRE plus Venus Detonation Ramjet approach addresses the propulsion gap that forces competitors to rely on multiple engine types.
Legacy Engines Limit Hypersonic Scale
Traditional rocket engines rely on subsonic combustion with complex moving parts and exotic materials, driving up costs and limiting production scale. The global aerospace and defense propulsion systems market exceeded $260 billion in 2022, yet no prior high-thrust RDRE had achieved flight until Venus's May 2025 test at Spaceport America.
RDRE Achieves First Flight-Tested Efficiency Gain
Venus's RDRE uses a ring-shaped combustion chamber with continuously rotating detonation waves, eliminating turbopumps and enabling 3D-printed construction from standard materials. This contrasts with Hermeus's turbine-based combined cycle engines and Destinus's hydrogen systems. The design supports runway takeoff to Mach 5+ cruise on a single architecture.
As Venus co-founder and CTO Andrew Duggleby noted:
"What differentiates our RDRE is not just that it works, but that it has flown at high thrust and was designed with scale, manufacturability and mission integration in mind."
Mercury Fund Leads With Defense Validation
Mercury Fund led the round, joined by Lockheed Martin Ventures re-upping its earlier strategic investment. The participation signals defense prime validation for a technology backed by NASA, the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory, and DARPA. The funding follows the appointment of former NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy to the board.
Hypersonic Markets Project Strong Growth
The hypersonic technology market is projected to grow from $7.98 billion in 2025 to $18.99 billion by 2032. Hypersonic flight alone is expected to reach $120.03 billion by 2035. Venus competes against Hermeus ($566 million total), Destinus (~$430 million), and Boom Supersonic ($700 million+), yet has achieved its milestone with roughly one-fifth the capital of leading vehicle developers.
Founders Bring Virgin Orbit Experience
Co-founders Sassie Duggleby (CEO) and Dr. Andrew Duggleby (CTO) previously worked at Virgin Orbit, bringing launch systems and operations expertise directly to propulsion development. The addition of former NASA leader Pam Melroy strengthens governance for scaling defense and space applications.
Next Milestones Focus on Manufacturing
With the round closed, Venus plans to scale production of its 3D-printed engines for munitions, upper-stage launch vehicles, and orbital transfer applications while expanding its Houston test facility supported by a $3.9 million Texas Space Commission grant.