In the July/August 2025 issue of Startups Magazine, we introduced some spacetech startups that we believe are the ones to watch in the industry.
ATRX
ATRX is a US-based spacetech startup that was founded back in 2021. The startup is currently developing space planes that are capable of providing regular space launches, making a space launch as simple as taking off from any runway in the world. The space planes would reach Very Low Earth Orbit and Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and would then be able to return to Earth for a runway landing. According to the startup, ATRX plans to develop two types of vehicle – first an uncrewed space plane for applications such as small satellite launches, and then a crewed version for human activities in space.
One of the startup’s key innovations is …
In the July/August 2025 issue of Startups Magazine, we introduced some spacetech startups that we believe are the ones to watch in the industry.
ATRX
ATRX is a US-based spacetech startup that was founded back in 2021. The startup is currently developing space planes that are capable of providing regular space launches, making a space launch as simple as taking off from any runway in the world. The space planes would reach Very Low Earth Orbit and Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and would then be able to return to Earth for a runway landing. According to the startup, ATRX plans to develop two types of vehicle – first an uncrewed space plane for applications such as small satellite launches, and then a crewed version for human activities in space.
One of the startup’s key innovations is the Air Turbo Rocket (ATR), a propulsion system that combines concepts from turbojets and rocket motors to enable operation from take-off to high supersonic/low hypersonic flight speeds. The engine has two notable characteristics across its operating range of standstill to Mach 5:
- High fuel economy (or ‘specific impulse’ – the ATR has a propellant consumption rate around 25% of a rocket of a similar thrust
- High thrust – the ATR has around twice the thrust of an afterburning turbojet of a similar size
These two characteristics mean that the ATRX space plane is projected to have lower operating costs than launch systems that exclusively use rocket propulsion and require staging to reach orbit.
By operating with simple ground infrastructure requirements and being fully reusable, like a regular aircraft, these space planes are expected to significantly reduce the cost of accessing space and offer lead times that are dramatically shorter than current launch systems.
Auriga Space
Auriga Space is a spacetech company that was founded in 2022, and is based in Orange County, California. It is devoted to radically reframing space access through electromagnetic launch systems, with applications in the space sector, as well as defence.
Its core technology involves a ground based linear electromagnetic accelerator: a pressure controlled tunnel equipped with rapid, high power linear electric motors. These propel a magnetically levitated launch vehicle to more than six times the speed of sound. As the final segment tilts upward, it exits at hypersonic velocity, igniting a second stage rocket to complete orbital insertion.
The startup has outlined a three-phase roadmap:
See Also
- Prometheus: a lab scale accelerator for recovering hypersonic tests
- Thor: full scale outdoor testing at flight relevant velocities
- Zeus: an on demand orbital launch system capable of daily operations
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.
Solestial
Solestial is reimaging solar energy for space. Based in Tempe, Arizona, the startup develops ultra-thin, flexible silicon photovoltaic modules specifically designed for the harsh conditions of orbit and lunar missions. Its technology offers a scalable, lower-cost alternative to the rigid, high-performance III-V multijunction panels that have long dominated the space industry.
At the core of Solestial’s proposition is a radiation-tolerant silicon solar cell that self-heals when exposed to sunlight, even at relatively low operational temperatures such as 65°C. These cells are integrated into highly flexible, lightweight modules, making them easier to manufacture and deploy. Despite their simplicity, the modules deliver a service life of up to 10 years in Low Earth Orbit or on the Moon.
This article originally appeared in the July/August 2025 issue of Startups Magazine. Click here to subscribe