Stellar Alpina Unveils Spacecraft Designs Driven by Rotating Detonation Engines

Swiss startup Stellar Alpina AG has unveiled the designs for two new spacecraft powered by rotating detonation rocket engines, Tech Times reported. The uncrewed vehicles include an orbital transfer vehicle named Monarch and a lunar lander named Morpho. Both designs use non-cryogenic green propellants to provide propulsion for in-space operations. [1]

The Monarch orbital transfer vehicle is designed to achieve a total velocity change of 6,000 metres per second, according to Tech Times. Tech Times, European Spaceflight, and Payload Space all reported that the company intends to target satellite operators and lunar surface missions with the commercial vehicles. Stellar Alpina is based at the Switzerland Innovation Park Zurich in Dübendorf and originated from a student-built detonation engine project. [1][2][3]

Rotating detonation combustion technology has been theorised since the 1950s, but it has not yet achieved commercial deployment in space, Tech Times reported. The company aims to make the spacecraft the first commercial rotating detonation engine vehicles developed in Europe. [1]