OTB Ventures backs $6M raise for Auriga Space’s slingshot-to-orbit
Category: SpaceTech / DeepTech / Dual-Use Tags: SpaceTech, Dual-Use, Poland
Auriga Space raises $6M to build electromagnetic “space slingshot” with backing from OTB Ventures, accelerating Poland’s role in the future of orbit-ready hypersonic launch systems
In a bold bet on the future of orbital access, Auriga Space, a California-based aerospace startup, has raised $6 million to continue development of its groundbreaking electromagnetic launch technology — with Poland’s OTB Ventures taking the lead investor role.
Auriga’s concept is deceptively simple but technologically ambitious: instead of launching rockets vertically using massive amounts of fossil fuel, the company is building a ground-based electromagnetic accelerator — effectively a space-age railgun — to fire payloads into the upper atmosphere at hypersonic speeds before igniting a small rocket engine for final orbital insertion.
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This innovation addresses a key inefficiency in modern rocketry: less than 2% of a rocket’s mass typically reaches orbit. The rest is either fuel or disposable hardware. By front-loading the kinetic energy required to escape Earth’s atmosphere using renewable electrical energy, Auriga aims to redefine both the cost and cadence of space launches.
The Polish Angle: DeepTech Diplomacy in Orbit
The $6M funding round, which includes $4.6 million in seed funding and $1.4 million in government contracts from the U.S. Air and Space Forces (AFWERX and SpaceWERX), was led by Warsaw-headquartered OTB Ventures, a prominent European VC specializing in deeptech and dual-use technologies.
This move reflects OTB’s expanding transatlantic strategy — supporting scalable infrastructure with both commercial and defense applications. For Poland, this investment reinforces its emerging identity as a tech-forward NATO member with rising influence in global SpaceTech and AI.
“OTB Ventures has a track record of identifying early-stage, physics-intensive startups with a dual-use edge,” said a spokesperson for the fund. “Auriga Space not only aligns with our strategic thesis — it puts Europe, and Poland by extension, closer to shaping the future of low-cost, on-demand orbital access.”
OTB has recently backed other transformative ventures including Polish AI firm Ingenix, which raised €9 million to simulate drug trials using synthetic data. This growing portfolio of frontier tech signals that the fund is positioning itself as Central Europe’s bridge to next-gen global infrastructure — from spaceports to labs.
From Zeus to Uber for Space
Auriga’s final orbital platform — codenamed Zeus — will launch small rockets via a magnetically driven hypersonic track. The final portion of the track will elevate steeply, hurling the vehicle into the stratosphere, where it ignites its own engine.
Until then, Auriga is commercializing its ground-based test platforms:
Prometheus (indoor) and
Thor (outdoor),
both of which provide a radically cheaper and more frequent alternative to traditional wind tunnel testing for hypersonic components. Existing test infrastructure often comes with multimillion-dollar price tags and multi-year queues. By contrast, Auriga’s system allows multiple daily tests on real hardware moving through real air, with built-in capabilities to simulate rain, ice, or ballistic impacts. This capability is critical for both defense contractors and aerospace OEMs exploring missile resilience, heat shielding, and aerodynamic profiles.
Electromagnetic Launch: From Sci-Fi to Near-Future Logistics
While massive G-forces remain a key engineering challenge — potentially limiting the types of satellites or payloads that can be launched — Auriga’s CEO Winnie Lai is optimistic.
“Missiles and munitions have withstood extreme Gs for decades. Our system is built on similar dynamics,” she said. If needed, Auriga can extend the track to reduce acceleration, making it viable for a wider range of payloads.
Lai’s ambition is to deliver true responsive launch, aligning with the U.S. Space Force’s vision for near-instant payload deployment.
“We order Ubers expecting them in minutes. Why shouldn’t space access be the same?” Lai asks.
Poland’s Stake in NewSpace
OTB Ventures’ involvement not only validates Auriga’s technical direction but hints at future strategic collaborations between U.S. defense initiatives and European deeptech hubs.
With Poland ramping up defense spending, investing in satellite constellations, and building its own space policy framework, this deal places Polish capital at the center of the next industrial space revolution — one where logistics, surveillance, and scientific payloads can be fired into orbit at a fraction of today’s cost.
Auriga’s approach echoes past concepts like StarTram and SpinLaunch, but with advances in power electronics, AI-driven tracking, and advanced materials, the “space slingshot” idea may finally be ready for lift-off.
