Stellar Alpina develops RDRE-powered spacecraft for the next era of spaceflight

The space-tech startup develops modular spacecraft for efficient mobility between Earth orbits and the in the future to the moon. Its vehicle architecture is built around Rotating Detonation Rocket Engines.

The space-tech startup develops modular spacecraft for efficient mobility between Earth orbits. Its vehicle architecture is built around Rotating Detonation Rocket Engines.

The story began within the student association ARIS. There, co-founder Simi Wespi initiated the PERSEUS project and built a team focused on rotating detonation. In 2024, the team developed the world’s first student-built RDRE and demonstrated that the technology works.

In 2026, this work evolved into Stellar Alpina. Four ARIS alumni founded the company at Innovation Park Zurich to turn the technology from a student engineering project into commercial spacecraft.

Instead of conventional subsonic combustion, the propulsion architecture uses detonation waves travelling at supersonic speed. This can enable more compact and lightweight systems with higher delta-v capability and greater mobility in orbit.

Just 82 days after its founding, the team reached its first major milestone: eight successful hotfires and up to five stable detonation waves. “We are building the infrastructure for mobility in space,” says co-founder Victor Elliesen. A CHF 3.5 million pre-seed round led by Founderful is supporting the development of the company’s first RDRE-powered spacecraft.

Switzerland Innovation Park Zurich plays a central role in this journey by enabling Stellar Alpina to combine development and testing at one location while providing access to the technical talent required to build a new generation of spacecraft.