The verified answer
As of Oct 2026, DEPLOY verifies Hop Aero: 1 model, $3.0M raised. 5 sources back the record.
CategorySpace
Overview
Hop Aero is a Y combinator S26 startup building autonomous hypersonic cargo rockets for point-to-point delivery to contested environments. Its vehicle, Rook, delivers 250 kg (550 lbs) of cargo up to 750 km (450 miles) in approximately 15 minutes — faster than any existing transportation method.
Rook launches from a standard 40-foot shipping container and lands on unprepared surfaces, requiring no runways or fixed infrastructure. The company has won a $1.25M US Air Force contract and completed tethered flight testing of its prototype.
Reality check
Vehicle (company-claimed)
Hypersonic cargo vehicle: 250 kg payload, 750 km range, about 15 min flight.
Operations (company-claimed)
Launches from a 40 ft container; lands on unprepared ground.
Milestones (company-claimed)
Tethered flight test and engine hot-fire completed; no untethered flight yet.
Verified record
- Verified deployments
- None on file
- Active incidents
- None on file
Key facts
Founders (reported, unconfirmed)
Funding (reported, Sep 2026)
Air Force (reported, unconfirmed)
Rook 2 (reported, Sep 2026)
Data & sources
Web sources
5
5 sources backing this record.View all →
Models (1)
View all models →Partnerships
Every company Hop Aero has built with, alongside the ones only announced in a press release.
Most-frequent partners
- 1US Air Force1× joint
Most recent
- with US Air Forceoperating
Hop Aero on the deployment map
View the global mapHop Aero has no verified deployments on the DEPLOY registry yet. Explore the deployment map by place and type.
No verified deployments for Hop Aero on the DEPLOY record yet. Track Hop Aero to know the moment the first one is verified.
Relationships
Current leadership (2)
- Matija Milenovic Founder & CEO, Co-foundersecondary-verified
- Jacob Balaj Co-founder & CTO, Co-foundersecondary-verified
Founders (2)
- Jacob Balajcofounderno longer at company
- Matija Milenoviccofounderno longer at company
Safety record
No incidents on record for Hop Aero.
Only active incidents are counted. Retracted incidents are excluded from this summary but remain reachable at their canonical URLs.
Full safety record: incidents, sourcing, and exposure data →
Recent coverage
Hop Aero in third-party press
Peer companies
- Impulse Space6 models
- AstroForge3 models
- Astrobotic Technology3 models
- Blackswan Space3 models
- China National Space Administration3 models
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory3 models
Mentioned on (2)
Registry pages whose text names Hop Aero.
People (2)
Financial state
- Total funding
- $3.0M
Each numeric field carries its own basis marker. Aggregators report a number; this surface preserves the source class so verification depth travels with the value.
Partnerships
1 total · 1 operating
Every company Hop Aero has built with, alongside the ones only announced in a press release.
Most recent
- with US Air Forceoperating
Most-frequent partners
- 1US Air Force1× joint
All 1 partnerships
open in the atlas →- Hop Aero x US Air Force (Rocket Cargo SBIR)withUS Air Forcedevelopment2026-01-01operating
Funding rounds (1)
- Seed2026-09-30
$11M(reported)
Timeline
Every recorded move in Hop Aero’s history, most recent first: funding rounds, partnerships, acquisitions, supply-chain starts, key hires, and press.
PartnershipHop Aero x US Air Force (Rocket Cargo SBIR)
2026-01-01Hop Aero won a $1.25M Department of the Air Force (DoW) SBIR contract for rocket cargo delivery to contested environments. The contract supports development of the Rook hypersonic cargo vehicle for military logistics.
Recent activity
Every change to this record is dated, sourced, and independently verified where marked.
- Record createdJul 28, 2026
Added to the verified registry
Sources (5)
- https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/hop-aero · 2026-07-28
- https://hop-aero.com/ · 2026-07-28
- https://x.com/milenovic925501 · 2026-07-28
- https://payloadspace.com/exclusive-hop-aero-raises-11m-for-suborbital-point-to-point-delivery/ · 2026-09-30
- https://x.com/Hop_Aero/status/2105282763704131718 · 2026-09-30
Common questions
What is Hop Aero?
What does Hop Aero make?
Is Hop Aero publicly traded?
Who competes with Hop Aero?
Who is the CEO of Hop Aero?
How can I invest in Hop Aero?
Where is Hop Aero headquartered?
How much funding has Hop Aero raised?
Who owns Hop Aero?
Where does Hop Aero operate robots?
Is Hop Aero a top robotics company?
When was Hop Aero founded?
Is Hop Aero safe?
Methodology: Verified · 5 sources (no primary) · last reviewed 2026-10-12
Verification posture
Verified
Low confidence
Review state
Stable
Last reviewed 2026-10-12
Sources by quality tier
- 5
- unclassified
- Unclassified source
The framework is documented at /methodology. Corrections at /corrections. Reviewer: DEPLOY editorial team.
Methodology surface for Hop Aero.Peer companies
- Impulse Space6 models
- AstroForge3 models
- Astrobotic Technology3 models
- Blackswan Space3 models
- China National Space Administration3 models
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory3 models
In the press
Recent coverage mentioning Hop Aero from third-party publications. Automatically surfaced; not part of the verified registry record.
Exclusive: Hop Aero Raises $11M for Suborbital Point-to-Point Delivery
The suborbital point-to-point logistics company announced $11M in funding today following its participation in the summer Y Combinator batch. The post Exclusive: Hop Aero Raises…
Hop Aero Wants to Deliver Cargo via Rocket
Hop Aero launched on Y Combinator this week with their autonomous suborbital rocket: Rook. The post Hop Aero Wants to Deliver Cargo via Rocket appeared first on Payload .
Introducing Rook by Hop Aero (YC S26): autonomous hypersonic cargo rocket
Hop Aero launches out of stealth with Rook, an autonomous hypersonic cargo rocket delivering 550 lbs up to 450 miles in ~15 minutes from a standard shipping container.
Hop Aero (YC S26) is building Rook, an autonomous hypersonic cargo rocket
Y Combinator announces Hop Aero's Rook: autonomous hypersonic cargo rocket delivering 250 kg up to 750 km in ~15 minutes. Won $1.25M US Air Force contract, completed tethered…
Machine-readable surfaces
- Markdown mirror: /companies/hop-aero.md
- RSS feed: /companies/hop-aero/feed.xml
- JSON-LD: embedded in this page’s head
- REST API: /v1/companies/63348d1e-1f0b-41a1-9e4a-7b2193c5c627
- Revision history: /companies/hop-aero/history
- Data documentation: /data
- Query this programmatically: Deploy MCP
Peer companies
- Impulse Space6 models
- AstroForge3 models
- Astrobotic Technology3 models
- Blackswan Space3 models
- China National Space Administration3 models
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory3 models
Video
BLOCKCHAIN.AERO — The world's 1st blockchain-platform for mass urban aviation. We build a new market for urban flights on flying cars. We automate charging, ma
Heat Index
Category contender77/100
A composite of competitive footprint, funding, press velocity, active partnerships, and supply-chain edges. Different from the Intelligence score below (which is per-form-factor productization). Non-robotics companies cap at 25.
Reality vs attention
Hop Aero draws attention at the 34th percentile but verifies reality at the insufficient-data level among space robots.
6-month trend
Analysis
Active fundraising activity with a recent closing. Limited public visibility and press coverage relative to peers.
Signal flags
Dimension breakdown
Verified signal
Attention (reach, not merit)
DEPLOY Intelligence scores are computed from verified registry data: confirmed deployments, disclosed funding rounds, regulatory filings, active job listings, video viewership, and press coverage. Confidence ratings reflect data availability. Scores update nightly.
DEPLOY Indices — verified vs claimed
Last computed: Oct 27, 2026