The space startup bluShift Aerospace successfully launched a low-flying rocket on Sunday using a kind of fuel that the company says can be grown on a farm.
The Brunswick-based startup launched its first rocket prototype, called Stardust 1.0, despite freezing temperatures and two false starts.
![bluShift](http://www.cleanfuture.co.in/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/bluShift_013021-1-1024x575.jpg)
Stardust 1.0 is a small sounding rocket powered by a “bio-derived” solid fuel to act as as a testbed for future bluShift rockets capable of launching tiny nanosatellites.
It stands 20 feet tall (6 meters) and can carry 17 lbs. (8 kilograms) of payload.
![](http://www.cleanfuture.co.in/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/LAUNCH-1.jpg)
The rocket didn’t reach space (or even a mile up), but marked a major milestone for a company aiming to launch bespoke missions tailored for tiny satellites.
The company plans to become the first private aerospace company to launch a single-engine biofuel-powered rocket, though there’s a long way to go in order to reach that point from its mile-high test.
![](http://www.cleanfuture.co.in/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/eUjRtLB22oCxR7uGLP2kkT-1200-80-1024x573.jpg)
However, this test is still a solid showing for the prospects of environmentally-friendlier biofuel.
The company claims that its proprietary biofuel is non-toxic, carbon-neutral, and “can be cheaply sourced from farms across America.”
![](http://www.cleanfuture.co.in/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/UbxSKHsyEFFSXtHxNFzNUR-1200-80.jpg)
Future tests will show whether the fuel — and the rockets it propels — are ready to make a dent in conventional rocket fuels. But if it works out, the more-sustainable rocket fuel could go a long way to helping clean up an environmentally-destructive industry.
Reference- Space.com, Futurism, BBC, bluShift website & PR