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Spacetech startup Ethereal Exploration Guild raises $20.5 Mn in Series A round

Entrackr · 22d ago

Medial

Spacetech startup Ethereal Exploration Guild raises $20.5 Mn in Series A round Space technology company Ethereal Exploration Guild (EtherealX) has raised $20.5 million in Series A funding round co-led by TDK Ventures and BIG Capital, with participation from Accel, Prosus, YourNest Venture Capital, BlueHill Capital, Campus Fund, and Riceberg Ventures. The proceeds will be used to develop a first fully reusable medium-lift launch vehicle, the Razor Crest Mk-1. Co-founded in 2022 by Manu J. Nair, Shubhayu Sardar, and Prashanth Sharma, EtherealX aims to take on SpaceX with a medium-lift launch vehicle called Razor Crest Mk-1. The rocket, designed to be fully reusable, is expected to place up to eight tonnes into low Earth orbit and will also be capable of delivering payloads to geostationary transfer and trans-lunar injection orbits. According to the Bengaluru-based startup, it is currently building a fully reusable medium-lift (25-tonne) launch vehicle. Razor Crest Mk-1 – the medium-lift fully reusable launch vehicle under development, can carry up to 24.8 tons into Lower Earth Orbit (LEO) and up to 10.8 tons into the Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO). Ethereal aspires to disrupt the launch market by lowering orbital transport costs to a target range of $500–$1,000 per kilogram. The startup uses in-house simulation tools and test infrastructure, which together contribute to better overall vehicle reusability and shorter development cycles. The company claims to have manufactured its 80kN upper-stage reusable engine (Pegasus) and has signed collaboration agreements with the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe), ISRO, and other national space agencies, as well as commercial satellite operators, launch aggregators, and launch ports globally.