Miles Jamison 
Lockheed Martin, through its venture arm Lockheed Martin Ventures, has made a strategic investment in Venus Aerospace, a Houston-based startup developing next-generation rocket propulsion systems.
Why Did Lockheed Martin Ventures Invest in Venus Aerospace?
Venus said Wednesday the funding, announced at the Axios Future of Defense Summit in Washington, D.C., will accelerate the development and production of Venus’ flight-proven rotating detonation rocket engine, or RDRE, for defense, space and commercial aviation applications. Lockheed intends to integrate Venus’ propulsion systems into future defense and space platforms.
“With support from Lockheed Martin Ventures, we will advance our capabilities to deliver at scale and deploy the engine that will power the next 50 years of defense, space and commercial high-speed aviation,” said Sassie Duggleby, co-founder and CEO of Venus Aerospace.
The aerospace and defense propulsion market, valued at over $260 billion in 2022, is expected to expand significantly. Investment in dual-use propulsion technologies is projected to reach $1 trillion by 2040. Venus’ RDRE is positioned to serve multiple sectors, including the hypersonics market, which is forecast to approach $12 billion by 2032.
“Next-generation propulsion will define the future of the space and defense industries,” said Chris Moran, vice president and general manager of Lockheed Martin Ventures.
