Space Technology Market: Stellar Alpina secures €160K from Venture Kick

Zurich-based space startup Stellar Alpina has raised €160,000 (CHF 150,000) from Venture Kick to develop compact rotating detonation rocket engines (RDREs) for in-space propulsion. The funding will support expanded testing infrastructure, further hotfire campaigns, and development of a first flight engine. Founded by Rick Röthlisberger, Simi Y. Wespi, Victor Elliesen, and Patrick Egli, the team emerged from ARIS, a Swiss academic spaceflight initiative. RDREs use continuously rotating supersonic combustion waves to generate thrust, offering potentially smaller, lighter, and more efficient propulsion for satellite maneuvers, orbital transfers, and future deep-space missions, addressing the growing need for in-space mobility as launch frequency increases.