Who is Matija Milenovic?

Matija Milenovic is co-founder and CEO of Hop Aero, which is building container-launched cargo rockets. He previously co-founded porkchop at KTH in Stockholm, whose nanosatellite propulsion hardware launched on SpaceX Transporter-3.

The spacetech startup Matija co-founded in 2019 with Victor Gonzales at KTH. It built a fully integrated propulsion system for nanosatellites. The hardware launched on SpaceX Transporter-3 on 13 January 2022, integrated into a Laika satellite.

Advaith Sridhar Assil Halimi

Matija Milenovic

Co-Founder & CEO at Hop Aero

Rocket cargo for contested logistics

Hop Aero

Co-Founder & CEO

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About

Hop Aero's Rook is designed to launch from a 40-foot shipping container, fly through space, re-enter at hypersonic speed and land 250 kg of cargo up to 750 km away in about 15 minutes, on unprepared ground.^{[1]Launch YCHop Aero: Rocket CargoYC, Aug 26, 2026[2]PayloadHop Aero Wants to Deliver Cargo via RocketPress, Jul 30, 2026[3]Deeptech DecodedMatija Milenovic on re-entering the atmosphere and landing vertically (17:48)Episode} Matija previously co-founded porkchop at KTH in Stockholm.^{[4]KTH Royal Institute of TechnologySpace launch for KTH startup porkchopPress release, Jan 13, 2022} Its nanosatellite propulsion hardware launched on SpaceX Transporter-3 on 13 January 2022, integrated into a Laika satellite.^{[4]KTH Royal Institute of TechnologySpace launch for KTH startup porkchopPress release, Jan 13, 2022[1]Launch YCHop Aero: Rocket CargoYC, Aug 26, 2026[5]Deeptech DecodedMatija Milenovic on porkchop launching on Transporter-3 (01:10)Episode} In September 2025 the Air Force Research Laboratory awarded it a $1.25M Phase II SBIR for Rapid Operations Over Kilometers.^{[2]PayloadHop Aero Wants to Deliver Cargo via RocketPress, Jul 30, 2026[6]SBIR.govROOK: Rapid Operations Over KilometersFiling, Sep 24, 2025} It designs in Los Angeles and tests at Infinity One Spaceport in Oklahoma.^{[7]Y CombinatorHop Aero company profileYC[2]PayloadHop Aero Wants to Deliver Cargo via RocketPress, Jul 30, 2026[8]Deeptech DecodedMatija Milenovic on the California headquarters and Oklahoma test site (52:12)Episode}

Co-founders

Jacob Balaj

Co-Founder & CTO

Episodes

Rocket Cargo Anywhere In 15 Minutes. The U.S. Air Force Is In. | Matija Milenovic, Hop Aero (YC S26)
Aug 28, 20261h 7m
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FAQ

Matija Milenovic is co-founder and CEO of Hop Aero, which is building container-launched cargo rockets.^{[7]Y CombinatorHop Aero company profileYC[2]PayloadHop Aero Wants to Deliver Cargo via RocketPress, Jul 30, 2026} He previously co-founded porkchop at KTH in Stockholm, whose nanosatellite propulsion hardware launched on SpaceX Transporter-3.^{[4]KTH Royal Institute of TechnologySpace launch for KTH startup porkchopPress release, Jan 13, 2022[7]Y CombinatorHop Aero company profileYC}

A Los Angeles company in Y Combinator's Summer 2026 batch, building Rook, an autonomous rocket designed to launch from a standard 40-foot shipping container and land 250 kg of cargo up to 750 km away in about 15 minutes, on unprepared ground.^{[7]Y CombinatorHop Aero company profileYC[6]SBIR.govROOK: Rapid Operations Over KilometersFiling, Sep 24, 2025[1]Launch YCHop Aero: Rocket CargoYC, Aug 26, 2026}

The spacetech startup Matija co-founded in 2019 with Victor Gonzales at KTH.^{[4]KTH Royal Institute of TechnologySpace launch for KTH startup porkchopPress release, Jan 13, 2022} It built a fully integrated propulsion system for nanosatellites.^{[4]KTH Royal Institute of TechnologySpace launch for KTH startup porkchopPress release, Jan 13, 2022} The hardware launched on SpaceX Transporter-3 on 13 January 2022, integrated into a Laika satellite.^{[4]KTH Royal Institute of TechnologySpace launch for KTH startup porkchopPress release, Jan 13, 2022[1]Launch YCHop Aero: Rocket CargoYC, Aug 26, 2026}

In September 2025 the Air Force Research Laboratory awarded Hop Aero a $1.25M Phase II SBIR for Rapid Operations Over Kilometers.^{[2]PayloadHop Aero Wants to Deliver Cargo via RocketPress, Jul 30, 2026[6]SBIR.govROOK: Rapid Operations Over KilometersFiling, Sep 24, 2025} The award runs through October 2026.^{[6]SBIR.govROOK: Rapid Operations Over KilometersFiling, Sep 24, 2025}

Jacob Balaj is Hop Aero's co-founder and CTO, a Marine Corps veteran who was on SpaceX's booster refurbishment program and led systems integration and test at Masten and worked on integration and test at Virgin Orbit.^{[7]Y CombinatorHop Aero company profileYC[1]Launch YCHop Aero: Rocket CargoYC, Aug 26, 2026[9]Deeptech DecodedMatija Milenovic on Jacob's role in the Falcon booster refurb program (51:27)Episode}