BRUNSWICK, Maine (AP) – A Maine company developing a rocket to propel small satellites into space passed its first major test on Sunday.
Brunswick-based BluShift Aerospace launched a 20-foot (6-meter) rocket prototype, which reached an altitude of just over 4,000 feet (1,219 meters) in a first run designed to test propulsion systems and rocket control.
He conducted a scientific project of Falmouth High School students that would measure flight metrics such as barometric pressure, a special alloy being tested by a New Hampshire company and a Dutch dessert called stroopwafel, in honor of its parent company with its in Amsterdam. Organizers of the launch said the articles were included to demonstrate the inclusion of a small payload.
The company, which launched from the northern city of Limestone, home of the former Loring Air Force Base, is one of dozens of races to find affordable ways to launch so-called nanosatellites. . Some of them, called Cube-Sats, can grow up to 10 inches by 10 inches.
Sascha Deri, CEO of bluShift, said the company aims to become a faster and more efficient way to transport satellites into space.
“There are a lot of companies that are like freight trains in space,” Deri said. “We’re going to be the Ubers in space, where we’re transporting one, two or three payloads cost-effectively.”
Another aspect that makes the bluShift rocket different is its hybrid propulsion system.
It is based on a solid fuel and a liquid oxidant that passes through or around the solid fuel; the result is a simpler and more affordable system than a liquid-fuel-only rocket, spokeswoman Seth Lockman said. The fuel is a proprietary blend of biofuels that comes from farms, Deri said.
“It’s a very non-toxic fuel, I like to say that I could give it to any of my young daughters. Nothing bad would happen to them, I swear, ”he said. “Therefore, it is very non-toxic. It’s carbon neutral. “
The goal is to create a small rocket that can launch a payload of 30 kilograms (66 pounds) into low Earth orbit, in addition to 160 kilometers (160 kilometers) above the Earth’s surface. Lockman said the orbit could be possible in 2024.
The company has spent $ 800,000 on research and development, with some of the money coming from NASA.
BluShift representatives said they do not plan to be able to launch from Brunswick, where they are headquartered, due to the population density in the area.
An attempt to launch tests in Calcar in early January was postponed due to the weather. Sunday’s launch was also hampered by a couple of false starts, but event organizers described the possible 15:00 take-off as “perfect.”
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Associated Press journalist Cody Jackson contributed to this report from Miami.