Auriga Space raises $6M to shoot rockets off an electromagnetic launch track

San Francisco, CA – Auriga Space, a pioneering California-based startup, has announced a significant funding boost, securing a total of $6 million to advance its groundbreaking electromagnetic launch technology. This capital infusion, comprising a previously undisclosed $4.6 million seed round and $1.4 million in new AFWERX and SpaceWERX contracts, positions Auriga to revolutionize the conventional rocket launch paradigm with a focus on efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and rapid reusability.

Currently, space launches are heavily constrained by the inefficiencies of traditional rockets, where the vast majority of weight is propellant, not payload, much of which is expended simply overcoming Earth’s gravity and atmosphere. Auriga Space aims to dramatically change this by developing an innovative launch track that leverages electricity and powerful magnets.

This cutting-edge system is designed to accelerate small rockets to speeds exceeding Mach 6 before they even leave the ground. The final segment of the track rises steeply, enabling the rocket to exit at hypersonic velocity and ignite its engine only for the final push into orbit. This method promises substantial propellant savings and an entirely reusable ground-based architecture, marking a significant leap forward in aerospace technology.

Winnie Lai, founder and CEO of Auriga Space, highlighted the core problem and her company’s solution in a recent statement: “Less than 2% of the mass of the rocket is what gets into space. So our ultimate goal here is to make space launch more efficient, and by increasing efficiency, we believe we can bring down the cost, and we can also enable much more frequent launches.”

While electromagnetic launchers are not a new concept, drawing parallels to rail guns and maglev systems, Lai asserts that recent advancements in power electronics, particularly the ability to operate at higher voltages and powers, have finally made the concept technologically and commercially viable. The $4.6 million seed round, which closed earlier this year, was led by European firm OTB Ventures, with notable participation from Trucks Venture Capital and Seraphim Space. To date, Auriga has successfully raised $12.2 million from a combination of venture capital and Department of Defense (DOD) grants.

The company is still finalizing critical aspects of its orbital launch system, including the exact tunnel length and rocket size. A key consideration remains the high-G loads imparted on the vehicle, which could potentially limit the types of satellites it can carry. However, Auriga has conducted initial studies indicating that satellite components can withstand higher Gs than previously assumed, and they are exploring custom structural support solutions to meet diverse customer needs.

“If you look at munitions, you also look at missile launches, those experience very, very, very high Gs,” Lai noted, expressing confidence in the survivability of payloads within their launch environments. She added, “If we want to bring down the Gs, then we make the launcher longer.”

Auriga’s immediate go-to-market strategy will focus on hypersonic ground testing. Their latest direct-to-phase II Small Business Innovation and Research (SBIR) grant from AFWERX will support the commercialization of Prometheus, a lab-scale indoor track, early next year. This will be followed by Thor, an outdoor accelerator designed for full-scale hypersonic test articles. The orbital launcher, the ultimate goal, is codenamed Zeus.

The market for affordable, on-demand hypersonic test infrastructure is currently undersupplied, and Auriga aims to fill this critical gap. Their systems will enable customers to perform multiple tests on the same article under varying flight conditions, offering a more cost-effective and higher-cadence solution than current alternatives. This capability will support diverse testing requirements, including weather, aerodynamic, and impact assessments.

Beyond testing, Auriga is also tackling the U.S. Space Force’s demand for “responsive launch” – the ability to deploy payloads into orbit with minimal advance notice. While recent demonstrations have seen impressive 24-hour launch capabilities, Auriga envisions shrinking this timeframe to a matter of minutes, likening it to summoning an Uber for space access. “I think that should be the case for space as well,” Lai concluded, envisioning a future of immediate, on-demand orbital access.