# SpaceX alum's startup hits $1B valuation on autonomous flight push

> Reliable Robotics raises $115 million to pursue FAA certification for aircraft that can fly themselves, with a ground-based pilot station years away.
- Title: SpaceX alum's startup hits $1B valuation on autonomous flight…
- Summary: Reliable Robotics raises $115 million to pursue FAA certification for aircraft that can fly themselves, with a ground-based pilot station years away…
- Keywords: reliable robotics, autonomous flight, faa certification, spacex, robert rose, aviation, funding, mountain view, technology, startups, alum's, startup
- Source: TechCrunch — https://techcrunch.com/2026/10/20/spacex-alums-aviation-startup-reliable-robotics-lands-115m-topping-1b-valuation
- Author: Kirsten Korosec
- Published: 2026-10-20T13:17:36+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: reliable robotics, autonomous flight, faa certification, spacex, robert rose, aviation, funding, mountain view, technology, startups
## Reliable Robotics lands $115M funding
The Mountain View, California-based startup raised $115 million in an extension of its Series D round, pushing its valuation beyond $1 billion.
## Funding breakdown and total raised
The round includes $90 million in equity led by Nimble Partners and $25 million in debt from Silicon Valley Bank. Reliable has raised $380 million to date.
## SpaceX veterans lead the company
Co-founder and CEO Robert Rose was a former director of flight software at SpaceX and also worked at Tesla and Google. Co-founder and CTO Juerg Frefel spent nearly a decade at SpaceX as an engineer.
## First product: continuous autopilot
Reliable's first product handles engine startup, taxiing, takeoff and landing while the pilot remains in the aircraft using a touchscreen. Rose expects certification in eighteen to twenty four months.
## Ground-based pilot station coming later
The second certification removes the pilot from the cockpit and moves them to a ground-control station. Rose says this certification is at least three years away.
## In-house collision-avoidance radar
Reliable developed a solid-state radar with no moving parts that scans at longer range and higher resolution than conventional systems. Rose expects certification by the end of twenty twenty seven.

> This is of great interest to operators these days, given the collisions that we've had recently in commercial aviation.
## Reliable Airlines: the test case
Reliable Airlines, based in Albuquerque, operates six Cessna Caravans flying cargo six days a week. It will be the first airline certified to use autonomous flying technology.
## Investor sees industry-wide transformation
Nimble Partners founder John Burbank said Reliable is building a system any airframe can adopt. He compared it to autonomous vehicles becoming the path for the auto industry.

> It's a much bigger effort and much bigger opportunity than to just build one plane.
## Key takeaway

Reliable Robotics, founded by SpaceX veterans, raised $115 million to advance autonomous flight certification, pushing its valuation past $1 billion as it works toward FAA approval.