# The Weekly bluPrint: From Moving Dirt to Launching Rockets at Sea! | bluShift Aerospace

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- Published at: 2026-11-09 16:00:00 UTC
- Updated at: 2026-11-10 02:01:07 UTC

## Author
Sascha Deri

## Subject
bluShift Aerospace

## Content
A special peek behind the curtain! Our Weekly bluPrint is normally reserved for bluShift investors, but we're making this week's edition public to give everyone a taste of the behind-the-scenes progress, challenges, and occasional rocket-fueled adventures we share with our investor community every week. 🚀Hi everyone!This was one of those weeks at bluShift where we were working on everything from compacting gravel and installing radiant floor heating to preparing our next rocket engine for testing - and discussing the possibility of launching rockets from the waters off Maine's coast.Quite a range of activities for a small team!I actually missed most of our Friday engineering meeting because I was attending the Maine Launch Summit in Portland. Fortunately, our CTO, David, stepped in to lead the discussion and collect everyone's updates. And judging from the transcript, the team had another very productive week.Here's what we've been up to!Could Our Next Rocket Launch Be from the Coast of Maine?I spent Thursday and Friday at the Maine Launch Summit, where aerospace companies, Space Force representatives, regional organizations, and leaders from across New England came together to discuss how we can grow the space industry in the Northeast.Panel discussion around the different launch modalities for the Northeast. From left to right: Alexandra of Promin Aerospace, me (Sascha), Tom of Celadon Financial, Terry, founder and former president of the Maine Space Corporation.One of the most exciting developments came out of Thursday's discussions.There was a strong sense among the Maine Space Corporation and conference participants that one of the most valuable things we could do to advance the region's space industry would be to organize a sea-based demonstration rocket launch off Maine's coast, with bluShift providing the rocket and launch capability.Conceptual rendering of bluShift's Starless Rogue launching from a variant of the University of Maine's Volturnus sea-stable platform, designed originally for use with wind turbines.Now, that's an idea we can get behind!For those who have been following us for a while, you know that launching from Maine has been part of our vision for years. A sea-based launch could provide a practical way to demonstrate our capabilities while beginning to establish a launch industry right here in our home state.We're taking a serious look at this opportunity. In fact, there's a possibility our next launch demonstration could take place off the Maine coast before our planned launch from Spaceport America in New Mexico.Nothing is finalized, of course, but it's exciting to see regional support building around an idea we've been championing for quite some time.Friday's summit reinforced something else I've been noticing: the space industry in New England is really beginning to come together.There are some remarkable companies and organizations throughout the Northeast doing genuinely innovative work. What's becoming increasingly clear is that our states will need to collaborate - not just technically and commercially, but also politically - to attract the investment, infrastructure, and policy support needed to grow a thriving regional space economy.The Northeast remains one of the last major regions of the United States without an active suborbital or orbital space launch capability.We'd certainly like to help change that. 🚀Meanwhile, Back at the Test Site... We're Moving Mountains (of Gravel)While I'm talking about launching rockets from the ocean, much of the team has been working on something considerably closer to the ground.Literally.Doug, Volodymyr, Gerard and I spent a good portion of the beginning of the week preparing the foundation for our new workshop, warehouse, and office building at our Brunswick Landing test site.This involved bringing in fill, leveling the ground, and compacting everything in preparation for the next phase of construction.Volodymyr on the Bobcat level the sand for the future workshop concrete base and Doug whizzing by in the background on the forklift.And there was a deadline!The contractors installing our under-slab insulation and radiant floor heating tubing were arriving Thursday morning. That meant we needed to have everything ready by Wednesday night.Thanks in large part to Doug and Volodymyr, with help from the rest of us, we made it.By Thursday, the insulation and PEX tubing for our radiant heating system were installed.Next up: rebar, concrete forms, and eventually pouring the floor.It's not quite as glamorous as rocket science, but having a dedicated, year-round facility where our team can manufacture, assemble, and test rocket hardware is an important part of scaling bluShift.And after spending a few chilly Maine winters working out at our test site, I think everyone will appreciate a heated floor!Getting Our Next MAREVL Engine Ready for TestingOn the engineering side, we've been steadily moving toward our next round of engine testing.Gerard has been working on finalizing the design of our more ruggedized test engine, including structural analysis using ANSYS to validate the design under expected loads.He's also been finalizing orders for the components needed to assemble our pressure cylinder, which we expect to begin putting together next week. This is an important step toward manufacturing the next fuel grains for testing.Meanwhile, Sam and Ben have been doing a lot of the less glamorous but absolutely essential work of sourcing components, placing orders, organizing incoming parts, and finalizing CAD designs.Anyone who has developed complex hardware knows that finding the right part is one challenge. Finding it at a reasonable cost, with a lead time that doesn't derail your entire schedule, is another challenge altogether!Matt has also been busy with sourcing and designed a component that will allow us to hydrostatically test some of our plumbing assemblies. That part has now been ordered.Matt has additionally been researching the setup of a new 3D printer expected to arrive next week, including ensuring that it meets our security requirements. We intend to use it to manufacture components for our motor development work.David has been coordinating much of this effort and shared something particularly encouraging: we've identified several Maine-based suppliers that may be able to produce components faster than the larger national supply-chain network we've traditionally relied on.That's an exciting discovery.As we continue building more hardware, developing relationships with capable manufacturers close to home could give us advantages in both speed and cost.And it helps strengthen Maine's growing aerospace supply chain along the way.A Critical Design Review and Testing the TestsAnother major accomplishment was the team's work on the Critical Design Review (CDR) for our new test motor.This is where we bring together the engineering analyses, design decisions, and supporting documentation to make sure we're confident in the hardware we're preparing to test.David was particularly pleased with how the team's work has come together.The real excitement, of course, will come when we put those predictions to the test by flowing oxidizer through the engine and ultimately conducting another hot fire.That's when the rubber meets the road. Or, in our case, when the fuel meets the oxidizer! ;)Gerard also reported on progress by Tom, who's been configuring a replacement engine controller and data collection for our test system. The new controller has been set up to match the previous system, with installation planned for next week so we can resume our pre-test evaluations.As Gerard put it during the meeting, sometimes we have to test the systems that test our tests.Apparently, we're a rather testy bunch.I'll show myself out.Behind Every Rocket Launch Is a Lot of Safety AnalysisWhile much of the engineering team has been concentrating on hardware, Doug and Luke have been making progress on the analytical work supporting our FAA commercial launch license.Doug incorporated additional feedback from FAA subject-matter experts into our ground hazard analysis.Meanwhile, Luke has been developing simulation tools that help us understand where vehicle debris could potentially land under different flight scenarios, including things not going according to plan.This is an important part of demonstrating that our launch operations can be conducted safely.Luke already has the debris simulations running and is now debugging and refining them. He's also looking at developing a more user-friendly graphical interface so other members of the team can work with the tools and visualize the substantial volumes of data they produce.It's the sort of detailed work that rarely makes the headlines when a rocket launches, but it's absolutely essential to getting there.Strengthening Our Cybersecurity and Test InfrastructureSophie has been tackling another important area of our growth: cybersecurity compliance.Building on what she learned at the recent CS5 East conference, Sophie has been digging into the requirements for achieving CMMC Level 2, including reviewing NIST documentation and identifying the next steps needed to get us there.As bluShift pursues more opportunities with the Department of Defense, meeting these cybersecurity requirements is an increasingly important part of being ready to serve those customers.Sophie has also been stress-testing and improving our camera recording infrastructure to ensure we can reliably capture data during critical events like hot-fire tests.When you're firing a rocket engine, you don't exactly get to ask it to repeat the performance because somebody forgot to hit record!Reliable test data is a huge part of what makes each firing valuable, and Sophie's work helps make sure we're getting the most out of every test.Growing Interest in Smaller Rocket MotorsI also had a particularly interesting meeting this week with another aerospace company that's currently operating in stealth mode, so I won't share its name.They're interested in using a smaller version of our MAREVL hybrid rocket engine to replace a particular class of solid rocket motor that's no longer being manufactured.What's interesting is that this is now approximately the third company that's approached us with a similar need.That gets my attention.Much of the solid rocket motor industry has historically concentrated on particular motor sizes and applications. As manufacturing capacity has shifted or disappeared, some customers have been left looking for alternatives that simply aren't readily available.Our hybrid propulsion technology could potentially fill some of these gaps, particularly where customers need smaller, affordable, readily manufacturable propulsion systems.It's still early, and conversations aren't contracts, but recurring customer interest in the same capability is encouraging.David also reported that we've been talking with a local testing organization to better understand requirements, costs, and timelines for integrating payloads into future suborbital hypersonic flight tests.It's another piece of the puzzle as we look beyond engine development toward delivering complete flight-test capabilities to customers.Building Maine's Next Generation of Aerospace EngineersI also had a great meeting with Dr. Ahmed Aboellzi from the University of Maine.Ahmed has been doing tremendous work connecting engineering students with Maine's growing aerospace industry, and bluShift has been fortunate to collaborate with him on a number of initiatives.We've already been exploring year-round internships and fellowship opportunities, and we're now looking at the possibility of establishing a four-year PhD research collaboration.The idea would be to have a doctoral student focus on a specific research challenge relevant to bluShift's technology, potentially taking advantage of federal funding through the National Science Foundation.We're still working through what an appropriate project would look like and whether the arrangement makes sense financially and technically.But I really like the concept: giving talented students an opportunity to work on real-world aerospace challenges while building capabilities that could benefit both bluShift and the broader industry here in Maine.That's the sort of partnership that helps create a sustainable aerospace ecosystem.And Speaking of the Next Generation of Rocket Scientists...We had a particularly fun visit to our test site this week from Linus, a high school student from Maine who interned with us last summer.For his senior project, Linus has taken on the ambitious challenge of designing and building his very own small hybrid rocket engine. He brought his motor out to our test site this week to put it to the test.And guess what? It worked beautifully. It even ignited on the very first attempt!Now, anyone who's spent time developing rocket engines knows that getting one to light on the first try is no small accomplishment. Even us supposedly experienced rocket engineers don't always manage that!It was wonderful to see Linus take what he learned during his internship and run with it.This is one of the things I love most about building bluShift here in Maine. We're not just developing rocket technology. We're helping inspire and cultivate the next generation of engineers who might someday take this industry further than we ever imagined.Way to go, Linus! 🚀And, of Course, Our Investors!In between all of this, I met with several potential larger investors as we continue our fundraising efforts.I also had an opportunity to sit down one-on-one with an investor who participated in our Wefunder offering.I genuinely love these conversations.One of the things I find fascinating is learning what motivates someone to invest in bluShift. Everyone has a different story, a different background, and often a different reason for believing in what we're building.I'm actually surprised more investors don't take advantage of the opportunity to schedule some time with me!It's one of my favorite parts of this journey, and I always walk away having learned something.I also heard some wonderful feedback this week about these Weekly bluPrint updates, including from our friends at Maine Venture Fund.Knowing that people enjoy getting a genuine behind-the-scenes look at what we're accomplishing makes the effort worthwhile.And that's really why we do these updates. Building a rocket company involves a lot more than dramatic hot-fire videos. There are engineering challenges, regulatory hurdles, supply-chain puzzles, construction projects, setbacks, and small victories that all contribute to the larger mission.We want you to be part of that journey.One Week at a TimeWhen I look back over everything the team accomplished this week, what stands out isn't any single achievement.It's the breadth of work happening simultaneously.We're getting closer to testing our next engine. We're building the infrastructure needed to scale. We're advancing our FAA licensing work. We're strengthening our supply chain and cybersecurity capabilities. And we're having conversations that could help establish an entirely new launch capability in Maine.That's a lot for a small team.And it's only possible because of the dedication and ingenuity of the people who show up every day and keep solving the next problem.As always, thank you for believing in what we're building and for being part of the bluShift journey.Onwards & Upwards! 🚀SaschaFounder & CEO, bluShift Aerospace