Rocket Lab recently performed a full-duration static fire test with the engine that will power the second stage of its powerful new Neutron launch vehicle.

The engine is being advanced through a $1 million U.S. Air Force contract.

The company said its AVac engine delivers 1.2 times the thrust of the first-stage version and uses a taller vacuum-optimized nozzle.

Rocket engine startup Venus Aerospace only has one major test flight under its belt, but the company just raised $91 million from investors ready to bet on future production demands. The Series B funding round was led by the venture capital firm Mercury Fund and with participation from other investors,

Venus Aerospace, a Houston, Texas-based startup, announced on July 8, 2026, that it has closed a $91 million Series B funding round which will support the further development of its high-thrust rotating detonation rocket engine (RDRE) technology.

SpaceX currently controls nearly every rocket launch on Earth. With 98% of global orbital launches under its belt, Elon Musk's company has become the de facto gatekeeper to space. While China is still a contender, other countries and private companies have ...

Rotating detonation rocket engines (RDREs) are full of potential. Alone, they could power missiles at greater efficiencies than any other cycle. In combination with an air-breathing combined-cycle propulsion system,