In 2026, Juno Propulsion will launch the first rotating detonation engine (RDE) on an orbital flight. This space history milestone started with a simple problem: a startup needed expertise they couldn't afford, and a University of Washington aerospace lab needed a real-world application.
The JCATI partnership
Two aerospace engineers who share a passion for rotating detonation technology founded Juno Propulsion. CEO Alexis Harroun earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Washington’s (UW) Department of Aeronautics & Astronautics in 2017, where she spent four years researching rotating detonation engines in Professor Carl Knowlen's lab. She continued this research at Purdue University, earning her Ph.D. in aerospace engineering with a focus on liquid rocket propellants and detonation combustion.
Her co-founder and VP of Engineering, Ariana Martinez, also completed her Ph.D. at Purdue, specializing in injection dynamics of rotating detonation devices. The two met as graduate students and discovered their shared vision of commercializing this new propulsion technology.
On the University side, Professor Carl Knowlen leads UW's Detonation Engines Lab and serves as principal investigator for the JCATI project. With decades of experience in advanced propulsion systems, Knowlen provides the specialized expertise and testing facilities that Juno needs to refine their technology. His lab offers capabilities that would be prohibitively expensive for a startup to develop in-house.
This creates the ideal partnership: Juno brings entrepreneurial drive and commercial focus, while the UW contributes specialized knowledge, testing infrastructure, and student researchers who gain hands-on experience with a technology they will see go into space.
The technology breakthrough
Rotating detonation rocket engines represent a fundamental shift in propulsion technology. Unlike traditional rocket engines that burn fuel through controlled combustion, rotating detonation engines harness continuous waves of detonations that travel around the engine at supersonic speeds. This detonation-based process extracts significantly more energy from the same amount of fuel, making it far more efficient than conventional burning methods.
"We are developing propulsion systems that use this rotating detonation engine technology as the key differentiator," Harroun explains. The result is a thruster that could dramatically reduce the fuel needed for satellite maneuvers, making space missions more affordable and opening up new possibilities for exploration.
Juno's thruster uses non-toxic propellants — ethane and nitrous oxide — that are safer to handle than traditional toxic rocket fuels and can be stored as self-pressurizing liquids at room temperature. Using these propellants eliminates the need for complex pressurization systems, making the overall propulsion system 30% smaller in volume, 15% lighter in mass, and requiring 40% less power than conventional solutions.
The technology promises significant advantages: satellites using Juno's propulsion system could see their payload capacity increase by 50%, their operational lifespan double, and their speed to target orbit increase dramatically. For the growing satellite industry — projected to reach $1 trillion by 2030 — these improvements could translate to millions in cost savings per mission.
While Japan's space agency flew a rotating detonation engine on a suborbital flight in 2021, Juno's mission will be the first to test the technology in orbit, which is a much more demanding environment where the engine will need to operate for months, not minutes.
The JCATI impact
The path from university lab to space mission has involved partnerships at every level. JCATI funding provided more than research support—it created the credibility and preliminary results that helped Juno secure NASA's competitive $500,000 Tech Leap prize. The combination of state investment and proven university partnership demonstrated to federal funders that the technology had both scientific merit and commercial viability, opening doors to additional funding streams that are now supporting the transition from laboratory prototype to space-ready hardware.
This builds upon a previous $275,000 National Science Foundation grant (with 30% going to UW), creating a layered funding approach that showcases how strategic public investment can accelerate technology transfer.
"Being able to work with the UW was really big for us," Harroun says. The JCATI grant has been "a big pivotal moment for the company to have external research dollars."
"What's exciting is seeing this come full circle," Knowlen explains. "Alexis's passion for this technology grew out of our lab work together, and now we're collaborating to turn that early research into something that will fly in space. Our students Ben Fetters, Kai Laslett-Vigil and Andrew Takacs are gaining invaluable hands-on experience with space-bound technology."
Juno Propulsion will launch the first rotating detonation engine into orbit, marking a historic milestone for both the company and Washington state's aerospace industry. This collaboration demonstrates the state's ability to nurture breakthrough technologies from concept to market. The partnership has already created jobs — Juno is hiring engineers in the Seattle area — while also providing excellent research and validation opportunities for university researchers.