bluShift Aerospace Press Release:
CONTACT
Seth Lockman
Communications Director, bluShift Aerospace
(207) 517-0171
seth.lockman@blushiftaerospace.com
bluShift Aerospace Prepares to Launch Prototype Rocket
Limestone, Maine (January 14, 2021) – After much anticipation, bluShift Aerospace, a Brunswick-based NewSpace startup, is preparing to launch a single-stage Stardust 1.0 prototype rocket on Friday, January 15, 2021 at 8 AM from the Loring Commerce Centre in Limestone, Maine. The long-awaited launch comes after bluShift conducted two static fire tests of its Modular Adaptable Rocket Engine for Vehicle Launch (MAREVL™) at its headquarters at Brunswick Landing on December 22, 2020 and January 5, 2021.
The low-altitude demo launch in Limestone is the culmination of six years of R&D, over two hundred engine tests, more than 50 suborbital and orbital stakeholder interviews, the successful realization of grants from NASA and the Maine Technology Institute (MTI), and the development of a novel modular hybrid rocket engine. The first flight mission will carry one academic and two commercial customer payloads.
This capstone moment is the first ever commercial launch of a rocket powered by bio-derived fuel anywhere in the world. The rocket is equipped with a proprietary modular hybrid rocket engine that is also unique to the aerospace industry. The launch will be viewed by a select group of honored guests and will be live streamed on YouTube. The YouTube link will be made available at the launch’s eventbrite page.
“There’s a lot riding on this moment, and not just for bluShift,” said Sascha Deri, CEO and Founder of bluShift Aerospace. “Stardust has the potential to launch a vibrant aerospace industry right here in Maine. Our team of staff and investors is aiming high and hoping to create an ecologically responsible aerospace industry with the words ‘Made in Maine’ on it.”
Powered by a non-toxic, carbon-neutral, bio-derived fuel made entirely from materials that can be grown on farms across America. Stardust 1.0 will demonstrate a low-cost and reliable alternative to traditional fuel without sacrificing efficiency. The Modular Adaptable Rocket Engine for Vehicle Launch, or MAREVL™, can rapidly be grouped in clusters and stages with other MAREVLs. This design architecture allows for the rapid assembly of custom rockets for suborbital and orbital missions.
Brian Whitney, president Maine Technology Institute (MTI), which has assisted bluShift with grants, consulting, and technical support, has been one of the company’s staunchest supporters.
“We are thrilled that the team at bluShift is ready for the suborbital launch of the Stardust 1.0 prototype, utilizing their environmentally-friendly, bio-derived fuel,” said Whitney. “We’re optimistic that the successful demonstration will illustrate bluShift’s commercialization capabilities.”
By building and launching rockets, bluShift hopes to stimulate an already-growing aerospace cluster here in Maine. Market analysis company Frost & Sullivan predicts that small-satellite launch service revenues will exceed $69 billion by 2030. To date, bluShift has raised nearly $277k in capital investment from local and national investors. With the launch of Stardust 1.0, bluShift is poised to capture a sector of a quickly expanding market, creating 40 jobs in the next five years and supporting more across the state.
Three Customers Join to Launch
In addition to demonstrating the bio-derived fuel and other proprietary systems in flight, bluShift’s first launch will validate the growing demand for the suborbital launch of small payloads in small numbers. Stardust 1.0’s payload bay will be fully packed with three unique customer payloads.
Falmouth High School has worked with UMaine and USM to outfit their cubesat prototype with a GoPro, radio transmitter, and XinaBox chips to collect flight data including acceleration, pressure, temperature, and humidity. Physics and STEM teacher Andrew Njaa commented, “The cubesat experience is totally different from a normal science class. Our team of students got energized about space and Maine’s place in it, and got a real window into what life in research, science, and engineering can be like.” Njaa continued, “The students gave up weekends and spent hours over Zoom to troubleshoot and figure out new code. Cubesats are helping them build professional relationships with scientists and professors here in Maine and around the world. This is what BluShift, collaboration, and cubesats can do.” Earlier this year Falmouth High School was among the five Maine schools awarded a NASA grant to launch MESAT-1, Maine’s first cubesat. The cubesat flown with bluShift will be their first 3U cubesat prototype.
Kellogg’s Research Labs will use this flight to test the vibration dampening properties of nitinol, a shape memory alloy of nickel and titanium, in the conditions of a rocket launch. “We supplied parts for more than 100 satellites launched in 2019, and we’re just getting started” says CEO Joe Kellog. “Currently 85% of CubeSats arrive on orbit with major system damage. With the strength of titanium and the ability to convert the vibrations of a rocket launch into heat energy, nitinol can protect payloads for less weight than a separate vibration dampening system. Of course testing is critical, and that is where bluShift is able to help us open the door for expanding the use of nitinol in Space.”
Rocket Insights, a software design and development company, brings perhaps the least conventional payload to the mission. “We have deep connections with the state of Maine and love supporting innovators,” said Rocket Insights partner Dave Witting. “When we heard that bluShift was taking on SpaceX and Blue Origin from the woods of Maine, we jumped at the opportunity to support this historic launch.” The company is filling their cubesat enclosure with traditional Dutch wafer cookies called stroopwafels, an homage to its Amsterdam-based parent company, Dept. “We’re not sure what to expect on launch day, but we’re thrilled to be along for the ride,” said Witting.
About bluShift Aerospace: Founded in 2014, bluShift Aerospace has designed a bio-derived rocket fuel and a modular hybrid rocket engine, and is working toward a small rocket that can lift 30-kilogram payloads to low-Earth orbit. This new launch system will dramatically reduce the environmental impact, cost, and wait times of current cubesat launch services. By launching these rockets to polar orbit from coastal Maine, bluShift plans to create over 40 aerospace jobs in the next five years and bring revenue from the rapidly growing cubesat (miniature satellites) launch market into the state. bluShift Aerospace is headquartered at TechPlace, at Brunswick Landing. More info.»
Launch information:
Live Stream Link: https://youtu.be/4X4uh9MvRL4
What:
We’re proud to announce the world’s first commercial launch of a rocket powered by biofuel this Friday in Limestone, Maine. The low-altitude demo launch will be viewed by a select group of honored guests and is the culmination of six years of R&D, over two hundred engine tests, the successful realization of grants from NASA and the Maine Technology Institute, and the development of a novel modular hybrid rocket engine.
When:
Friday, January 15, 2021 @ 8 am
- Please Note: Rocket launches can often be delayed for a variety of reasons, including weather. We’ll keep you posted if we are delayed.
Where:
Loring Commerce Centre in Limestone, Maine.
- Google Map Address: Snowbarn Road, Limestone, ME 04750.
- Travel to the eastern end of Snowbarn Road, turn right, and follow the plowed area.
- In accordance with Maine DECD’s COVID19 Prevention Checklist Industry Guidance for Drive-In Theaters, in-vehicle viewing will be available to invited guests from a designated parking area.
- Tune your car radio to 92.9FM to hear our live broadcast
Who:
- Sascha Deri, CEO and Founder, bluShift Aerospace
- Seth Lockman, Communications Director, bluShift Aerospace
- bluShift engineers including Brook Halvorson, Luke Saindon, Michael Ostromecky, Steve Savoie, and Ben Lemieux.
Tentative Itinerary:
The invitation-only launch event will take place on the morning of January 15, 2021 (weather permitting) with a select group of spectators and honored guests. Guests will be welcomed to the viewing area at 7 AM, where they will view the rocket, learn about the proprietary technologies developed to create the hybrid rocket engine and the biofuel. At around 8 AM, a countdown will begin.
January 15, 2021
7:00 AM Guests arrive
7:30 AM Remarks
8:00 AM Rocket Launch
8:30 AM Celebration/Closing Comments
Live Stream:
If you can’t make it in person, you can join our live stream at https://youtu.be/4X4uh9MvRL4
