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contact@otb.vcAuriga Space, a leader in electromagnetic hypersonic launch technology, today announced $6M in additional funding in the form of a seed round and Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contracts from the US AFWERX and SpaceWERX, the innovation arms of the US Air Force and Space Force respectively. The oversubscribed seed round was led by OTB Ventures, a leading European deep tech investor, with participation from existing investors, including Trucks Venture Capital and Seraphim Space.
Auriga’s solutions are designed to deliver much greater efficiency for a new era in space launch, using one of the first substantially new approaches created since prevailing standards of rocket technology were developed in the 1950s. By using electromagnetic forces to accelerate launch vehicles, Auriga’s technology is safer, enables more frequent on-demand launches, and is more cost effective and sustainable than traditional rocket technologies.
The funding will be used to accelerate the development of Auriga’s Prometheus platform, which will be commercialized for lab-scale ballistic and recoverable hypersonic testing of subsystems. This technology development is the first step towards scaling for on-demand launches into orbit. Following the success of Prometheus, the company will continue on its roadmap to Thor, which will be an outdoor full-scale hypersonic test solution, then Zeus, which will enable on-demand and daily dedicated launches to orbit.
Winnie Lai, Founder and CEO of Auriga Space, said: “Since Auriga was founded, we have had a relentless focus on creating a new standard in space launch – one that is flexible, high-frequency and cost-efficient to serve both commercial and defense missions. As the world accelerates efforts in space exploration, satellite technology, and next-generation defense systems like the Golden Dome, the development of our Prometheus accelerator marks a major step toward truly on-demand, routine access to space. By commercializing Prometheus and offering hypersonic test services, we're not only supporting the advancement of critical national defense capabilities, but we're also building and validating the technologies that will power our future orbital launch systems. We look forward to working with OTB Ventures and the US Air Force Research Lab and the Space Force as we develop our solutions further and make space more accessible than ever before.”
Wojtek Walniczek, Partner at OTB Ventures, added: “Since meeting Winnie and her team, we have been consistently impressed by their research prowess and depth, commercial potential of Auriga’s solutions, and the speed at which they mature the technology and drive towards commercial impact. With three contracts already underway with the US Department of Defense, Auriga’s team is progressing at rapid pace to get its solution to hypersonic speeds and ultimately to realise the company’s vision of on-demand launch. We are excited to see what is to come for the Auriga team, with the full support of the OTB team behind them.”
Auriga’s team, led by CEO Winnie Lai, a serial entrepreneur with a background in engineering and physics, has quickly grown to 20 full-time employees, and has the support from senior advisers with strong defense sector expertise, including retired 3-star Lieutenant General Neil Thurgood. The company’s further two defense contracts were with the AFWERX and SpaceWERX.
Read more in TechCrunch: https://techcrunch.com/2025/07/15/auriga-space-raises-6m-to-shoot-rockets-off-an-electromagnetic-launch-track/
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