LIMESTONE — A high school has partnered with bluShift Aerospace to power up its first small rocket launch Friday morning in Aroostook county.
It took six years of planning for the bluShift Aerospace company to piece together its first rocket to fire up into the sky.
“It would feel really good once we launch it,” said Sascha Deri, CEO of bluShift Aerospace.
Sascha Deri, the CEO of bluShift Aerospace said it’s the first commercial rocket launch in Maine.
When it finally gets the go signal for the launch, the 20-foot, 550-pound rocket will blast off nearly a mile into the sky and parachute it’s way back to the site of the former Loring Air Force base in Limestone.
The entire flight should last a minute and a half.
“What we put in the tank is liquid CO2 in there, which creates a lot of pressure. Then, what we do is release that liquid CO2 that has high pressure,” said Deri.
Deri said Stardust Gen 1.o is the first rocket in the world to use bio-fuel for its engine.
He said they’ve decided to use bio-fuel as a sustainable, eco-friendly source.
“It costs half of normal rocket fuel and has a higher density. It’s incredibly safe, non-toxic, and if our rocket ditches in the ocean, then we won’t be contaminating fisheries, lobsters, plant life or the eco-system,” said Deri.
According to Deri, the rocket will carry a variety of experiments, all from three different customers.
With the help of Falmouth High School students, they were able to piece together environmental data.
“Science class students, along with their teachers who worked tirelessly despite COVID on this experiment, in which they measured pressure, location and temperature,” said Deri.
The launch was originally scheduled for 9 a.m. Friday morning, but due to weather it’s postponed to either Tuesday or Wednesday.
