Stellar Alpina, a Swiss space technology startup based at Innovation Park Zurich, announced that it has raised CHF 3.5 million in pre-seed funding to accelerate the development of rotating detonation rocket engines (RDREs) designed for next-generation in-space mobility. The financing round was led by Founderful, with participation from deep-tech venture capital firm LP&E and a group of strategic investors from the broader deep-tech ecosystem.

Founded in 2026, Stellar Alpina is focused on developing compact propulsion systems that can enable faster, more efficient movement of spacecraft and payloads after launch. The company is targeting a growing market opportunity as the space industry shifts beyond simply reaching orbit and increasingly focuses on transferring, servicing, repositioning, and operating assets across multiple orbital environments.

Just 82 days after incorporation, the company completed Europe’s first known commercial rotating detonation rocket engine hotfire campaign. Stellar Alpina built and commissioned its testing infrastructure and successfully conducted a full engine test program for Engine 0, its first RDRE prototype. The campaign included eight detonative hotfire tests and demonstrated up to five stable detonation waves, transforming a research concept into validated hardware in less than three months.

The company’s technology is intended to address a key challenge facing the rapidly expanding space economy. While launch costs have fallen significantly over the past decade, many propulsion systems used to maneuver satellites and spacecraft in orbit rely on architectures that have changed little in recent decades. As satellite operators pursue increasingly complex missions involving higher-energy orbits, in-space servicing, assembly, and cislunar operations, demand is growing for propulsion technologies that offer greater efficiency, flexibility, and performance.

Stellar Alpina’s founding team traces its roots to the Academic Spaceflight Initiative Switzerland (ARIS), where the founders worked on advanced rocketry projects and developed what they describe as the world’s first student-built rotating detonation rocket engine in 2024. The company’s engineering philosophy emphasizes rapid iteration through frequent testing, allowing the team to quickly evaluate designs, gather data, and improve performance.

Following the successful completion of the Engine 0 campaign, Stellar Alpina plans to use the new capital to expand its testing efforts across multiple engine configurations, build larger testing infrastructure, and advance development of a flight-ready propulsion system.

The funding round represents an important milestone for Switzerland’s growing space technology ecosystem and underscores investor interest in advanced propulsion technologies that could help support the next phase of commercial space development.

KEY QUOTES:

“The space economy is moving beyond the question of access to orbit. The next challenge is movement after launch: transferring, repositioning, and operating assets across higher-energy orbits, cislunar space, and more complex mission architectures. We believe detonation-based propulsion can provide the step change this requires by making rocket engines smaller, more efficient, and more capable. Stellar Alpina is building the foundation for mobility in the space between worlds.”

Victor Elliesen, Co-Founder, Stellar Alpina AG

“My dream is to see Swiss technology enabling and enlarging space exploration. To do that, we need true entrepreneurial drive and action. We must back the builders who work hard and take personal risks to turn these ambitious goals into reality, and Stellar Alpina is exactly that kind of team!”

Thomas H. Zurbuchen, Professor and Director, ETH Zurich Space; Former NASA Head of Science (2016–2022)

“Founding to hotfire in under three months. That tells you how this team operates. The in-space mobility market is large, underserved, and growing fast. We believe the founders of Stellar Alpina are the team to build a category-defining company from Switzerland.”

Alex Stöckl, Founding Partner, Founderful