Venus Aerospace Space Company from Houston has achieved an important milestone towards creating the world’s first supersonic commercial airliner. The startup recently conducted successful flight tests of an experimental 2.4-meter drone equipped with a rotating detonation engine (RDE).
The small drone was released from an Aero L-29 Delfín reconnaissance aircraft at a height of 3.7 km, reaching a speed of 0.9 Mach. The RDE used an environmentally friendly monoblit engine, with hydrogen peroxide as the working fluid. The engine operated below full thrust as the tests were conducted within restrictions at a US aircraft testing facility.
This test marks the beginning of Venus Aerospace’s ambitious space program. The company’s founder and technical director, Andrew Daglby, emphasized the incremental approach stating, “We go to the goal gradually, step by step.” Venus had recently completed a series of extended firing tests on the innovative RDE.
Unlike conventional liquid rocket engines, the RDE utilizes a rotating detonation wave principle where fuel components continuously circulate through the annular chamber. Developers claim this design increases efficiency by approximately 15%.
While Venus Aerospace has collaborated with DARPA on hypersonic military projects, the main focus remains on applying these advancements in commercial aviation. Daglby expressed confidence in the RDE technology, stating, “Now I am 100% convinced that this type of engine will open the era of hypersonic travel.”
The company’s next objective is to combine the rotating detonation engine with an air-breathing scramjet to create a hybrid propulsion system suitable for various speeds and altitudes. Venus Aerospace also plans to launch a larger 3.7-meter drone capable of reaching speeds of Mach 2 to Mach 3 by the end of the year.
In the future, Venus aims to develop a 12-foot drone with a diameter of 10 cm that can achieve hypersonic speeds of Mach 4 to Mach 5. The startup anticipates potential contracts with the Pentagon for the development of hypersonic weapons with the first flight of this larger drone set for 2025.