Texas Startup’s Wild New ‘Exploding’ Rocket Aces First Flight Test

The U.S. is one step closer to achieving hypersonic flight after Venus Aerospace, a Houston-based propulsion company, successfully launched a test of its rotating detonation rocket engine (RDRE) on Wednesday, May 14. The company claims it is the first U.S.-based test of this technology, which is finally coming to fruition after decades of research and development. Eventually, RDREs could power high-speed aircraft capable of traveling more than six times the speed of sound, Venus Aerospace stated in its announcement. “We’ve spent approximately four years and a portion of our $84 million in venture funding to take the RDRE from academic theory to flight-proven engine,” Sarah “Sassie” Duggleby, co-founder and CEO of Venus Aerospace, told Gizmodo in an emailed statement. “What makes the RDRE remarkable isn’t just that it works—but that it’s orders of magnitude more affordable than traditional propulsion systems,” she added. The company launched a small rocket equipped with this 2,000-p ... Read full article.