bluShift Aerospace launched Stardust 1.0 on Sunday, which the Maine-based startup has claimed as the world's first biofuel powered commercial booster.

The small sounding rocket is powered by a "bio-derived" solid fuel and stands at six meters tall with a payload capacity of eight kilograms.

The rocket's launch was intended as a testbed for future bluShift rockets capable of launching tiny nanosatellites.

This was the third attempt by bluShift to launch Stardust 1.0.

A 14 January attempt was stopped by bad weather, while a pressure issue with an oxidizer valve scuppered the rocket's initial attempt on Sunday, even as its solid fuel ignited.

In mid-afternoon, Stardust 1.0 launched from its support rail, flying over 1,219 metres up and then deploying a parachute before falling back to Earth

This marks a major step towards bluShift's aim of launching bespoke missions tailored for tiny satellites, the company said.

"It went perfectly,” Sascha Deri, bluShift chief executive, told attending media. "It landed right where we were hoping for and where we were planning for. It couldn't have been better than that."

A drogue chute did fall loose during the launch but was then found by two small girls and their parents using a snowmobile, according to Deri.

Share Story: