BluShift Aerospace, a Brunswick-based NewSpace startup, said this week it’s entering a phase of rapid engine testing to optimize the performance, thrust and efficiency of its carbon-neutral, biofuel powered rocket engine.
The engine is called the MAREVL, short for Modular Adaptable Rocket Engine for Vehicle Launch.
The new round of tests precede integrating the engine into bluShift’s suborbital rocket, Starless Rogue.
At the same time, the company has opened a new equity crowdfunding campaign on Wefunder, a crowdfunding platform. The platform provides type of fundraising campaign called the “community round,” which allows startups to raise capital from customers and supporters, as well as angel investors and venture capitalists.
The goal is to raise between $500,000 and $1 million by November. Before the campaign officially launched, bluShift had already secured reservations for 60% of its early-bird investments.
In April, the company completed a $1.07 million fundraising round on Wefunder, from nearly 1,300 investors.
“This new round of funding allows us to complete a rapid series of 20 or more engine tests, to fine tune the rocket’s engine so we can get up to flight grade performance, and to begin a year-long process with the Federal Aviation Administration for licensing and approving our future launch site,” said Sascha Deri, bluShift’s CEO and founder.
In June, the startup won the first-place $25,000 prize in Dirigo Labs’ inaugural pitch competition and announced the location for its future base of operations, including the company’s manufacturing facility and mission control.
On Sept. 1, the company conducted a test of its full-scale MARVEL engine, which reached a peak thrust of 10,000 pounds for 10 seconds using its proprietary carbon-neutral biofuel.
When completed, it’s expected that Starless Rogue will become the first rocket capable of propelling over 60 pounds of customer payloads into space using carbon-neutral, nontoxic biofuel.
On Jan. 31, 2021, bluShift launched the first commercial rocket in the world powered by nontoxic, near carbon-neutral fuel from Loring Commerce Centre in Limestone. It’s expected the launch system will reduce the environmental impact, cost and wait times of current cubesat — miniature satellite — launch services. By launching rockets to polar orbit from Maine, bluShift plans to create over 50 aerospace jobs in the next five years and bring revenue from the rapidly growing cubesat launch market into the state. bluShift is headquartered in Hangar 6 at Brunswick Landing.
