A rotating detonation rocket engine (RDRE) on Venus Aerospace’s VDR2 ramjet engine could be the answer.
Founded with the goal of developing hypersonic aircraft capable of transporting passengers around the world in record time, Venus Aerospace is pushing the boundaries of what is possible in aviation. The goal is to develop vehicles capable of traveling at speeds greater than Mach 5 , or five times the speed of sound, by committing to incorporating sustainable practices and technologies into their designs, reducing the environmental impact of high-speed travel without compromising on safety or passenger comfort.
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New engine
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Now, the company has just unveiled its groundbreaking engine, the 2000 lb thrust Venus Detonation Ramjet (VDR2) engine in an exciting development for high-speed aviation. This system is not only valid for airplanes, but also drones and other types of aircraft that will be able to travel at high speeds with incredible efficiency.
The VDR2 integrates the powerful thrust and efficiency of a rotary detonation rocket engine (RDRE) with the high cruise efficiency of a ramjet. This unique engine provides propulsion from liftoff to speeds of Mach 6, with an airflow design that minimizes drag and eliminates the need for complex mechanical components. It is somewhat like a jet engine although it is essentially a ramjet, where incoming air is compressed by the forward-moving velocity of the engine rather than by the spinning turbine blades as in a conventional jet engine.
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The engine can sustain continuous thrust at extreme speeds
which sets it apart from existing hypersonic systems that rely on glide bodies launched at high altitudes, which is highly impractical for commercial aircraft that clearly need to sustain powered flight for the entire trip, not just a specific leg of the journey. This engine bridges that gap.
“ This engine makes hypersonic economics a reality,”
said Dr. Andrew Duggleby, co-founder of Venus Aerospace, during the presentation at Up.Summit recently.1. “We are excited to partner with Velontra to achieve this revolution in high-speed flight, given their expertise in high-speed air combustion.”
“We are eager to get to work, get the first one flying,
and ultimately refine an engine concept that has existed mostly in textbooks but never as a production unit in the air. 3.We couldn’t think of a better partner than Venus,” said Velontra COO Eric Briggs.
How does it work?
This technology increases both thrust and efficiency through a constant detonation process. During this process, fuel and oxidizer are introduced into a confined space between two cylinders and ignited, generating a supersonic shock wave that rotates within the space. This method generates significantly more energy than traditional combustion methods.
The result is a low-drag engine being developed in collaboration with Velontra and based on an earlier Venus Aerospace project. With all its features, the new engine is capable of reaching altitudes of 52,000 meters (174,000 feet) under continuous thrust at speeds of up to Mach 6 (which refers to six times the speed of sound in air, being approximately 7,410 kilometers per hour under standard conditions; Mach 1 is generally considered to be approximately 1,235 kilometers per hour (750 miles per hour) at sea level and a temperature of 20 degrees Celsius (68 degrees Fahrenheit). The engine is 15 percent more efficient than conventional engines, if Venus Aerospace meets its current design goals.
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When will it do a test flight?
The inaugural test flight of the VDR2 is scheduled for next year – 2025 – and if all goes according to plan, this development will have an incredibly huge impact on future hypersonic aircraft; it could revolutionize the entire air travel scene.
A ramjet is ideal for hypersonic flight because it can withstand much higher temperatures than a traditional engine. This is due to its simple design and the absence of moving parts. This feature is crucial because, at hypersonic speeds, the air entering the engine can heat up the interior to an astonishing 2,130 °C , which, as you can imagine, would quickly melt turbine blades or similar parts in a conventional engine.
Venus Aerospace, founded in 2020 by Andrew and Sassie Duggleby, is a venture-backed startup that has raised $70 million to develop this type of technology that will revolutionize the world of aviation. For the moment, they have managed to successfully fly their supersonic drone (something that happened in February 2024). We will have to wait and see what the results of next year’s tests will be.
