BluShift Aerospace

History

Sascha Deri started BluShift Aerospace in 2014. Two years later, the company moved from Massachusetts to Brunswick Landing in Maine, taking advantage of the old Naval Air Station’s aerospace facilities, which gave them access to testing gear and skilled workers for their experimental rockets. In 2017, the Maine Technology Institute gave them money to work on bio-fuel. Then in 2019, NASA awarded a Small Business Innovation Research grant for a modular hybrid rocket engine.

BluShift had planned its first launch for 2019, but delays, including the COVID-19 pandemic, pushed it back. By 2020, the company had run 154 static fire tests on its hybrid propulsion system. On January 31, 2021, BluShift launched its Stardust 1.0 prototype from Loring Air Force Base in Limestone, Maine. The 20-foot rocket climbed to about 4,100 feet and came back down with a parachute.

The whole launch cost less than $500,000, and it was the first commercial rocket flight to use bio-derived fuel. The rocket carried three experimental payloads in 3U CubeSat boxes, supplied by Kellogg Research Lab, Rocket Insights, and Falmouth High School. After that launch, BluShift grew its business and technical work. In March 2021, it started a public crowdfunding campaign aiming for $500,000.

By April 2022, it had raised over $1.1 million from more than 1,000 investors around the world. In June 2021, BluShift signed a deal with Virginia-based Max IQ to launch up to 60 small satellites over several years, with two launches planned each year. The company picked a spot near Jonesport and Beals, Maine, for future launches, meant for polar and sun-synchronous orbits. But in March 2022, BluShift dropped those plans after local residents opposed them.

Engine technology

The Modular Adaptable Rocket Engine for Vehicle Launch (MAREVL) is a hybrid rocket engine combining solid bio-fuel with liquid oxidizer. Initial thrust targets were between 50 kN and 60 kN, with plans to reach 80 kN.

A 2022 hot-fire attempt of MAREVL 2.0 was canceled due to ignition failures; the first successful test on March 1, 2022 generated approximately 39 kN of thrust. Full-scale MAREVL 2.0 testing includes more than 20 static fire tests. A 5-second burn in March 2022 validated ignition and flow stability, and a 60-second full-duration burn was completed in October 2024.

Launch vehicles and capabilities

BluShift Aerospace used its Stardust series as a test platform for the MAREVL propulsion system. On January 31, 2021, Stardust 1 proved biofuel propulsion could work, lifting an 8-kilogram payload to roughly 4,000 feet. This single-stage reusable prototype was recovered in satisfactory condition and later retired. The company's Starless Rogue suborbital rocket is built to offer 6 to 10 minutes of microgravity for 30-kilogram payloads, reaching altitudes up to 300 kilometers, and also functions as a hypersonic testbed for defense.

Red Dwarf, BluShift's first orbital vehicle, was intended to carry 100 kilograms to low Earth orbit, favoring polar and sun-synchronous paths. In February 2022, BluShift announced it had cut Red Dwarf from three stages to two while boosting payload capacity from 30 to 100 kilograms. The first Red Dwarf launch was slated for 2026, contingent on successful Starless Rogue flights and full FAA licensing. However, in 2026, all rocket development was halted due to a lack of funding, and the company shifted focus to developing engine and booster technologies.

Recovery systems were built into every vehicle; Stardust 1 demonstrated parachute recovery, landing in snow for post-flight analysis rather than reuse.