Venus Aerospace has completed testing NASA-supported nozzle designs for its compact rocket engine and is preparing for a flight demonstration this summer.
The Houston, USA-based Venus Aerospace has worked with NASA engineers to test the new nozzle designs for its Rotating Detonation Rocket Engine (RDRE) engine. The top-performing design exceeded expectations and will be integrated into the company’s ground-based launch test in the coming months.
“We’ve already proven our engine outperforms traditional systems on both efficiency and size,” said Sassie Duggleby, CEO of Venus Aerospace. “The technology we developed with NASA’s support will now be part of our integrated engine platform — bringing us one step closer to proving that efficient, compact, and affordable hypersonic flight can be scaled.”
An RDRE engine operates through supersonic shockwaves called detonations to generate more power with less fuel. Venus claims to be the first US firm to make a scalable, affordable RDRE flight-ready.
Last year Venus demonstrated RDRE propulsion system with the flight of a supersonic-capable drone.
“This is just the beginning of what can be achieved with our propulsion technology,” said Andrew Duggleby, chief technology officer of Venus Aerospace. “We’ve built a compact, high-performance system that unlocks speed, range, and agility across aerospace, defense, and many other applications.”
The summer test flight will demonstrate detonation-based propulsion using a full-scale aircraft. Venus reports its system has previously demonstrated efficiency in the upper 90th percentile compared to standard rocket engines.
Last year Venus revealed an engine capable of take-off, acceleration, and hypersonic cruise within a single architecture. While most high-speed systems require multiple engines for different speed ranges, Venus’s approach aims to reduce cost, weight, and complexity.
According to Venus, the propulsion system delivers rocket-like take-off power and jet-like cruise efficiency in a compact form. The company claims this unlocks advantages in speed, range, reusability, and cost by allowing vehicles to accelerate from runway to Mach 5+ without changing engines.
Venus Aerospace was founded in 2020 and works with NASA, the US Department of Defense, and other federal agencies on applications including spacecraft landers, satellites, space cargo vehicles, and hypersonic drones.
