A new type of rocket engine, one that could power a plane from Los Angeles to Tokyo in just two hours, has eluded scientists for decades. Houston's Venus Aerospace says it recently solved the puzzle.

Exhaust billows from a tethered static fire test of a Long March 10 first-stage test article at the LC-301 launch pad, Wenchang Space Launch Site, Hainan Island, China, Aug. 15, 2025. Credit: CMSEO ...