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LIMESTONE, Maine – The small crew of around 10 bluShift Aerospace made history Sunday by sending the Stardust 1.0 rocket into the skies, marking the world’s first commercial launch of a rocket powered by bio-derived fuel and the first commercial rocket launch in Maine.
BluShift Aerospace’s plans to make history with the launch of Stardust 1.0 were delayed by cloudy skies for the second time this month. When the rocket finally takes off, it will mark the world’s first commercial launch of a bio-derived fuel-powered rocket and the first commercial rocket launch in Maine.
The first launch attempt on Sunday morning had to be delayed because it was too cold for the electronics to work properly in the rocket and they needed to warm them up, bluShift CEO Sascha Deri said.
The temperature was 14 degrees below zero at around 6 a.m., he said.
“We know that our batteries are not usable under minus 10,” he says. “I didn’t even think this was going to be a problem, but I guess I didn’t know Aroostook County well enough.
After that, the sky became briefly cloudy, but then cleared for a launch around 10:30 am. Unfortunately, the rocket did not leave the tower during this attempt, which Deri attributes to the fact that the main valve was under pressurized and unable to open.
“It was a learning lesson. We wanted to avoid the loss of fuel, but we shouldn’t have done it, ”he said.
Another launch attempt, about an hour later, also prevented the rocket from clearing the tower – caused by the depletion of the ignition fluid. Deri clarified that the ignition fluid is separate from the company’s proprietary bio-derived fuel.
The ignition fluid was filled at 13:56 and the crew immediately began to pressurize and heat the system for launch. At that point, Deri said: “It looks great, and I think we have a good chance. Hope we can say that the third time is the charm.
At 3 p.m., the rocket was able to be launched without noticeable problems, with the payload parachute deploying in time for the materials to appear to reach the ground safely.
“The good news is that we had a successful launch. The incredible news is that he landed in such an easily accessible place, ”said Deri. He also thanked the Bouchard family for locating the rocket on snowmobiles in such a short time.
“I feel incredibly lucky,” he says.
The launch was originally scheduled for October 28, 2020, but was moved to November so the team could perform additional testing that they said was critical to the performance of the rocket. During this time, engineers found that the rocket design could be improved, and the launch was delayed a second time.
Improvements included o-ring improvements, an additional heat shield added to key areas of the rocket – especially around the combustion chamber and in the telemetry area – telemetry improvements for data link reliability and improvements to the heat shielding of the launch trailer so that it can be reused.
On the next attempt, the crew were fully prepared to launch the Stardust on the morning of January 15, but cloud cover prevented them from obtaining the required approval from the Federal Aviation Administration. Originally scheduled for 8 a.m., the launch was later moved to 10 a.m., and the time was pushed back in increments throughout the day until the team ran out of daylight to the start.
The FAA requires notification one hour before launch, then 15 minutes before launch, and another just after launch ends.
The team needs 48 hours with cloud cover below 50% of the flight ceiling, or 5,200 feet above sea level, for the launch to take place. The winds should also be calm. And since the crew is based in Greater Brunswick, they need to determine the optimal weather window about three to four days in advance so they can get to Limestone and prepare the rocket.
The Stardust is 20 feet tall, 14 inches in diameter, weighs around 650 pounds, and costs nearly a million dollars to build.
In addition to making history, the team is hoping this will open the doors to a relatively untapped market for academic and commercial payload launches.
Deri said on Jan.15 that the company learned from attending numerous conferences and interviewing dozens of customers that there aren’t dedicated small rocket launchers equipped to carry one to three payloads.
On January 31, the rocket was launched with three payloads on board – a science payload from Falmouth High School, aerospace materials from the Kellogg Research Lab in New Hampshire, and a Rocket Rock Bumbler and Stroopwafel from Rocket Insights in Massachusetts.
(The rocket will be launched with three payloads on board – a science payload from Falmouth High School, aerospace materials from the Kellogg Research Lab in New Hampshire, and a Rocket Rock Bumbler and Stroopwafel from Rocket Insights in Massachusetts.)
The CEO said on the first launch that in a way companies like SpaceX and United Launch Alliance could be likened to freight trains and a company like Rocket Lab is similar to a bus line.
“And we’re going to be the Uber from space,” Deri said.
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