Brunswick Landing-based bluShift Aerospace completed on Thursday what it’s calling its most powerful engine test yet on its next-generation hybrid rocket called Marvel.
The goal was to clean up some instabilities in recent tests, while increasing the power by 10 to 15 percent.
“What we saw was the engine had a much cleaner burn than it did before, much higher performance, and that’s exactly what we were expecting,” Sascha Deri, the CEO of bluShift Aerospace, said. “I think everybody’s pulse rate after that was about 200. Very exciting, and I love this.”
The team said more analysis is needed to determine how successful the test was.
After a few more tests and upgrades, bluShift hopes to test launch the rocket in New Mexico sometime next year.
Long term, the company hopes to conduct launches off the coast of Maine.
