Stellar Alpina

Summary active Updated May 28, 2026

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Location Zurich, Switzerland
Founded 2026
Latest Stage Pre-Seed
Total Raised CHF 3.5M (~€3.8M / ~$4.5M)
Website https://www.stellaralpina.com/
Sector
space aerospace propulsion deeptech in-space-mobility rotating-detonation-engines

Founders

Rick Röthlisberger Co-Founder
Simi Y. Wespi Co-Founder
Victor Elliesen Co-Founder
Patrick Egli Co-Founder

About

Stellar Alpina is a Zurich-based space-propulsion company building compact rotating detonation rocket engines (RDREs) for in-space mobility, founded in 2026 by Rick Röthlisberger, Simi Y. Wespi, Victor Elliesen, and Patrick Egli — all alumni of ARIS (Academic Spaceflight Initiative Switzerland) 123. Just 82 days after incorporation, Stellar Alpina completed what it claims is Europe’s first commercial RDRE hotfire campaign with eight detonative hotfires producing footage of up to five stable detonation waves 12. The CHF 3.5M (~€3.8M / ~$4.5M) pre-seed announced May 28, 2026 was led by Founderful with participation from LP&E 123.

Funding History

Date Round Amount Lead Co-investors
2026-05-28 Pre-Seed CHF 3.5M (~€3.8M / ~$4.5M) Founderful LP&E 1234

What Investors Say

No independently sourced investor quotes found at this time.

What Founders Say

“Our way to commercialization is to talk to as many customers as possible, figure out where the current pain points [are]—where the high maneuver is needed.”

— Victor Elliesen, Co-Founder, on the company’s go-to-market approach 3

“There is a race, which is establishing: Who’s going to figure out how much more efficient are RDREs? Who says the first RDRE can’t come from Europe?”

— Victor Elliesen, Co-Founder, on European RDRE leadership 3

Sources

  1. GlobeNewsWire, “Stellar Alpina Raises CHF 3.5M to Build Detonation-Based Propulsion for Mobility After Launch,” May 28, 2026. Accessed May 2026. https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2026/05/28/3302542/0/en/stellar-alpina-raises-chf-3-5m-to-build-detonation-based-propulsion-for-mobility-after-launch.html↩↩↩↩

  2. EU-Startups, “Zurich’s Stellar Alpina raises €3.8 million to build detonation-based propulsion for in-space mobility,” May 28, 2026. Accessed May 2026. https://www.eu-startups.com/2026/05/zurichs-stellar-alpina-raises-e3-8-million-to-build-detonation-based-propulsion-for-in-space-mobility↩↩↩↩

  3. Payload, “Exclusive: Stellar Alpina Raises $4.5M to Build Rotating Detonation Engines,” May 2026. Accessed May 2026. https://payloadspace.com/exclusive-stellar-alpina-raises-4-5m-to-build-rotating-detonation-engines/ — Confirms CHF 3.5M ($4.5M) pre-seed led by Founderful with LP&E participating, announced May 28, 2026; quotes co-founder Victor Elliesen. ↩↩↩↩↩

  4. Startupticker, “CHF 3.5M to Build Stellar Alpina Detonation-Based Propulsion for Mobility After Launch,” May 28, 2026. Accessed June 2026. https://www.startupticker.ch/en/news/chf-3-5m-to-build-stellar-alpina-detonation-based-propulsion-for-mobility-after-launch — Swiss startup press confirming CHF 3.5M pre-seed led by Founderful with LP&E and other strategic deep-tech investors; lists all four founders (Wespi, Elliesen, Röthlisberger, Egli) and Innovation Park Zurich HQ. ↩