{"id":65001,"title":"✈️ Velontra - Hypersonic space plane that can take-off from any location and weather","tagline":"Propelling Innovation","body":"Velontra is building a hypersonic space plane that can takeoff from anywhere in any weather.\n\nCheck us out at \u003chttps://velontra.com/\u003e\n\n**Problem**\n\n1\\.     Conventional Rocket-based launch is expensive (\u003e$5000 per kg)\n\n2\\.     Rocket launch cancellations cost satellite companies millions\n\n3\\.     Launch lead times are greater than 1 year\n\n4\\.     Satellite companies do not get launched into their desired orbits\n\n**Solution**\n\nVelontra is building a hypersonic space plane that can takeoff from anywhere in any weather.  This horizontal takeoff increases launch reliability and enables customers to directly access any orbit.  Our air-breathing propulsion system is up to 6 times more fuel efficient than any rocket, and uses oxygen from the air which creates thousands of pounds of additional payload capacity.\n\n![uploaded image](/media/?type=post\u0026id=65001\u0026key=user_uploads/848374/3cac1349-a095-4ac8-b60c-2753b8220b70)\n\n**Revenue Generating Products**\n\nHere are the steps of our tech development path.\n\n1\\.     Propulsion System\n\n2\\.     Supersonic UAV\n\n3\\.     Hypersonic UAV\n\n4\\.     Space Plane for Low Earth Orbit\n\n**How It Works**\n\nThe hypersonic space plane will work by taking off from any runway with a jet propulsion system.  Next, it will climb to over 100,000’ and Mach 5.  At this point, it will launch a 2nd stage rocket directly into the desired Low Earth Orbit.\n\n**Ask**\n\nOur Ask is for introductions to any company putting anything into orbit.  We are pursuing LOI’s and customer discovery.","slug":"GuP-velontra-hypersonic-space-plane-that-can-take-off-from-any-location-and-weather","created_at":"2022-07-29T15:23:52.592Z","updated_at":"2026-05-23T17:39:49.027Z","total_vote_count":19,"url":"https://www.ycombinator.com/launches/GuP-velontra-hypersonic-space-plane-that-can-take-off-from-any-location-and-weather","share_image_url":"//bookface-static.ycombinator.com/assets/ycdc/yc-og-image-c440a0ad1dacfb86eeeb343717479cc54d256614449b4ef719977a0a451f8bc8.png","company":{"id":27198,"name":"Velontra","slug":"velontra","url":"https://www.velontra.com/","logo":"https://bookface-images.s3.amazonaws.com/small_logos/f91f60fef77675614e979bd8ce01941da0e92c40.png","batch":"Summer 2022","industry":"Industrials","tags":["Commercial Space Launch","Hardware","Drones","Aerospace"],"search_path":"https://bookface.ycombinator.com/company/27198"}}