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V O L . X X V I I I N O. X X I X D E C E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 2 2 16 M A N U FAC T U R I N G To guarantee no debris in or on machined holes and surfaces of the parts, special hydrogen furnaces are used to clean tungsten and molybdenum prod- ucts prior to final packaging. Biofueled rocket On Jan. 31, 2021, bluShift Aerospace Inc., headquartered at Brunswick Landing in Brunswick, made history at Loring Commerce Centre in Limestone when it launched Stardust, the world's first com- mercial prototype rocket to be powered by near carbon-neutral, nontoxic fuel. Founded in 2014, bluShift designed the bio-derived rocket fuel and a modular hybrid rocket engine, called the MAREVL or Modular Adaptable Rocket Engine for Vehicle Launch, and is working toward building a commer- cial rocket operation that can lift small payloads to low-Earth orbit. is year, the company conducted a successful first burn of its full-scale MAREVL. It's working on the fuselage design for its first suborbital rocket, Starless Rogue, designed to provide nanosatellite client payloads six to eight minutes in zero gravity. BluShift is developing a telemetry system, conducting more engine testing and finalizing its Federal Aviation Administration licensing. e plan is to launch Starless Rogue from NASA's launch facility at Wallops Island, Va. Founder and CEO Sascha Deri is pur- suing launch opportunities in Maine, with plans to build a larger orbital rocket. In Q1 2023, bluShift will begin a $10 million seed round to fund Starless Rogue's full buildout, regulation compli- ance and launch. "We've received $9.5 million in pur- chase orders and letters of intent from customers, ranging from commercial companies wanting to test out technol- ogy to be used in space and student experiments to professional academic research experiments and people and pets' ashes being launched for memorial services," says Deri. Plating for a spaceplane Silvex Inc., an aerospace-certified com- pany in Westbrook, has been providing chemical processing services for compo- nents on Broomfield, Colo., Sierra Space Corp.'s Dream Chaser program. Silvex serves industries including defense, firearms, aerospace, electron- ics, alternative energy and restaurant/ hotel-ware. Dream Chaser is a winged commer- cial spaceplane in development to fly SPECIAL FUNDING OPPORTUNITY FOR MANUFACTURERS Reduce operating costs and improve facility performance through energy efficiency upgrades. Enhanced incentives available for projects that reduce fuel use. Bonus incentives available for beneficial electrification and heat recovery projects. Time and funding limited! For more information visit efficiencymaine.com or email custom@efficiencymaine.com. ยป C O N T I N U E D F RO M P R E V I O U S PA G E F I L E P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY F O C U S Sascha Deri at bluShift Aerospace is looking to serve the nanosatellite market with biofueled rockets.