About Us

We founded Rocket Propulsion Systems (RPS) in 2019 with a mission to provide the best economics for all our customers’ needs: from small satellite launches to larger in-space orbital operations in both the defense and commercial sectors. Located from Kent, Washington, we design and manufacture the most affordable and reusable rocket engines and derived space vehicles. RPS rocket engines cost only $150K per rocket and will power hundreds of rockets annually. RPS engines power RPS orbital transfer vehicles, which are adept at dynamic space operations and sustained space maneuverability.

We’ve designed both our engines and space vehicles to be highly scalable so that they can consistently meet the dynamic needs of our customers’ business models and missions.

Dr. Max Ismailov, has over 10 years (2010-2019) of industry experience launching space vehicles with a wide range of firms including: Blue Origin, SpaceX, Stratolaunch and Firefly where he led the design, build, and testing of large booster liquid rocket engine components as well as entire engines / vehicles in various engine cycles and propellant combinations. In particular, he specialized in high performance stage combustion engines. He earned his PhD in Aerospace Engineering from Purdue University.

Ankur Saxena is a U.S. Air Force veteran where he led B-2 Stealth Bomber ground operations from 2011-2015 at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri. He maintained and tested B-2 engine and power systems, hydraulic systems, and flight controls. He earned his MS in Aerospace Engineering from Notre Dame, his MBA from New York University Stern School of Business, and BA in Physics from University of Chicago.