blushift aerospace
Growing up, I vacationed at a small coastal town known for its ponies galloping right along the beach, and the plains and rockets that launched nearby. When I heard about this team, that our guests on this episode, I was in awe. It brought back memories of my younger years, who knew that rockets were launching in my new home state, this team of highly skilled aerospace experts and lovers of all things space, launched a rocket from an airfield that hasn't been utilized for quite some time. It's pretty remarkable.
And it wasn't just any rocket guys. It was the first rocket powered by a bio-derived fuel to carry commercial payloads in flight. And they made this rocket here in Maine. A couple weeks ago, this team made history. And their goal is to continue growing. Many people told them they couldn't achieve what they did a couple weeks back. And some supported them every step of the way, including local organizations, government, and Loring air force base that is hoping to be used again for many more projects in the future.
Photo taken by: Michael C
I was so excited to welcome Sascha from bluShift Aerospace to the Makers and Maine podcast. Thank you so much, Sascha, for being on the podcast. Sascha was able to tell me all about his craft and what inspires him.
“At bluShift Aerospace, we are building small, dedicated launch vehicles to take tiny payloads to space supportively and orderly. My inspiration, you know, I was born just after the Apollo era. And when you’re a child at that age, you have these high expectations of what we would do in space. And, growing up, I got to see a lot of space shuttle launches on TV, never in person, and had a lot of the dreams and aspirations for our country. I remember when I was a kid, first I wanted to be an astronaut. Then, I chained myself down, I wanted to be a pilot. And then I needed glasses.”
Photo taken by: Lindsay Heald
Ultimately, Sascha went to school for Physics and wanted to figure out how the universe worked. He added a second degree in electrical engineering from the University of Southern Maine. He wanted his career to overlap with technology and hopefully benefit humanity in one way or another.
I wanted to discuss with Sascha how hard it is to continue down the process of building a rocket and getting everything prepared for a launch. Many would ask, how do you fund a project like this. Luckily, I found out about some great resources in Maine. Sascha filled me in on the process of convincing everyone about their projects, I guess rockets aren't built in Maine that often?!
Photo taken by: Lindsay Heald
There are other challenges, as well.
“So there's the whole host of challenges. You really want to make sure your engine works properly, doesn't explode, doesn't leak. And we've been through all that we have not been through the explosion. Fortunately, apparently, our engine doesn't explode easily. So there are all those technical issues. And I am not going to adjust this by just saying all those technical issues, because there is a lot we've been doing for years. Getting to the point where to go ahead and launch, we had to find a place we can launch from the right. The challenges go beyond the airfield itself, we have to talk with the neighbors and so much more."
And what’s next for bluShift Aerospace?! Looks like they are hoping to launch off the coast of Maine - but it can’t be revealed just yet! I am so excited to see what the next project is. We did get to discuss Sascha teams for the business and ultimate goal.
“So the ultimate dream goes a lot further than launching tiny cube SATs to polar orbit around Earth. The ultimate dream is to develop a sustainable business that’s profitable, strong and stays here in Maine. It doesn't mean we don't grow beyond the borders of Maine. But fundamentally, the headquarters here in Maine, launching from Maine, largely manufacturing here in Maine. We want to be, and I'm smiling because I think there's some part of me that's a little bit hesitant sharing the full dream. The dream is to be the first company to do the first-star shot. We want to be the first company that launches a small probe to Alpha Centauri Proxima which is a red dwarf star. And hence the name of our largest rocket, red dwarf.”