Sascha Deri

The engine architecture allows the team to make significant changes to critical subsystems quickly and efficiently. “That’s key when you’re developing new propulsion technology.”

An upcoming "hot fire test" will run the company's biofueled rocket engine three times longer than ever before — long enough to get bluShift's craft to suborbital space.

The Brunswick startup secured $2.3 million to accelerate the development of small satellite launches, with the goal of scaling operations for commercial launches next year.

To kick off the new year, Mainebiz asked more than a dozen movers and shakers from different sectors for their 2024 business predictions. The prognostications offer much food for thought.

With over 85 established aerospace companies and a polar orbit geographical advantage, Maine has hard and soft assets to launch a new space industry hub, particularly as it relates to small rocket and nanosatellite markets.

The company joins businesses from Europe, Asia and the U.S. in the program’s first cohort. “We don't typically associate sustainability with rocket launches, but bluShift has an impressive propulsion solution,” said one organizer.

The research will test the properties of components manufactured using 3D printing in comparison to the traditional manufacturing process.

Cohort members include Farm Drop, an online network of farmers markets, and the SledTRX interactive snowmobile app.

Temperatures reaching thousands of degrees. Brutal cosmic conditions. Novel exploratory missions traversing billions of miles. The challenges of manufacturing for extreme conditions are technical and inventive. We checked in with some of these companies.

Some Maine startups are racking up pitch-off wins before going on to other fundraising, while others prefer more specialized accelerator programs and grants.