Starchaser Industries
Encyclopedia
Starchaser Industries is a privately owned company based in the UK whose principle aim is to become a viable business in space tourism
. Formed in 1992, the company has designed and built several rocket systems - all prototypes - to investigate the feasibility of producing a Space Tourism Vehicle. Sarchaser's rocket NOVA 1, launched in 2001 from Morecambe Bay, still holds the UK record for the biggest successful rocket launch ever fired from the British mainland. Since 2002, Starchaser have operated an Educational Outreach Programme that has grown steadily to become a now major aspect of the company. This arm of the company aims to take traditionally difficult and abstract areas of Physics and Chemistry and explain their use in rocket building.
, was a toothpaste and soap powder laboratory technician at Colgate
who sponsored the project initially. By 1998 Steve was teaching at the University of Salford
as a professor of Space Physics and had students help out on several of Starchaser's early rockets. The first rockets were powered by sugar; in fact the company was sponsored by Tate & Lyle
until March 1996,when it became known as the Starchaser Foundation.
By December 1998, the company changed again and become a private limited company now known as Starchaser Industries. Engines were tested in 1999 at the Altcar Rifle Range in Merseyside
. It moved to new premises in Hyde in January 2001; previously they had been assembled in his garage in Dukinfield. By this stage the company was sponsored by Microsoft and the Discovery Channel
and employed twelve people.
On the 22nd November 2001, NOVA 1 was launched from Morecambe Bay as a full scale test of all rocket systems. It was never intended to be a full flight into space (above 100 km) as the UK Civil Aviation Authority restricts any rocket testing on the UK mainland to below 10,000 feet. NOVA 1 flew to a height of approximately 5,000 feet before parachuting back down into the bay. The mission was a complete success and became at the time the biggest rocket ever fired from the UK mainland.
In 2002 work began on NOVA 2, the pregenitor rocket system to Starchaser's Space tourism Vehicle Thunderstar. The aim of this mission was to focus on the capsule and life-supporting systems of the rocket. In 2004 there were successful tests of the NOVA 2 capsule's landing gear to investigate methods of recovery of the capsule by land. On 1 July 2008, the 57-foot Nova 2 was unveiled to the public and did extensive touring around the UK. NOVA 2 still sits unlaunched, however a launch may be likely in the near future.
Another smaller project is the Skybolt sounding rocket. Completed in 2006, this rocket is another fully reusable space rocket capable of sending up to 20 kg of cargo to a maximum altitude of 83 miles. This rocket is also testing an entirely new Starchaser engine, the STORM engine; capable of generating 7 tonnes of thrust and achieving a maximum speed of nearly mach 5. The rocket has since been used regularly in the Educational Outreach Program as an example of Starchaser's work.
in New Mexico
, next to the White Sands Missile Range
, where the company owns 20 acres of land with buildings. It is likely any near future space flight rocket tests will have to be carried out here due to the UK CAA flight restrictions and the superior space-faring infrastructure already present in the US.
It had originally hoped to provide manned spaceflight by 2003. In June 2001, the company unveiled the 33 foot Nova manned rocket which if modified, could fly one person into space. Later, by 2005 the plan was for the manned rocket to be called the Thunderstar, launching from New Mexico. By 2007, the un-manned Skybolt rocket was unveiled, as a prototype for the Thunderstar.
Starchaser's first attempt at designing a rocket engine, and generated approximately 500 kg of thrust. Used oxygen and nitrogen mix to pressurise the engine.
Six times as powerful as its predecessor, the MKII had a maximum thrust of 3000Kg and used the same gas mixture to pressurise the system.
The MkIII massively improves on the MarkII again; this time by a factor of five. Around 15,000Kg of thrust could be achieved from this engine; making it the most powerful engine Starchaser have. The pressurising gas was this time Helium.
The Storm engine is basically a scaled down Churchill MkIII for use in the Skybolt rocket. Able to produce around 7000Kg of thrust it acts as an operational successor to the Churchill research engines.
Space tourism
Space Tourism is space travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. A number of startup companies have sprung up in recent years, hoping to create a space tourism industry...
. Formed in 1992, the company has designed and built several rocket systems - all prototypes - to investigate the feasibility of producing a Space Tourism Vehicle. Sarchaser's rocket NOVA 1, launched in 2001 from Morecambe Bay, still holds the UK record for the biggest successful rocket launch ever fired from the British mainland. Since 2002, Starchaser have operated an Educational Outreach Programme that has grown steadily to become a now major aspect of the company. This arm of the company aims to take traditionally difficult and abstract areas of Physics and Chemistry and explain their use in rocket building.
History
It began in 1992, when Steve Bennett, of DukinfieldDukinfield
Dukinfield is a small town within the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies in central Tameside on the south bank of the River Tame, opposite Ashton-under-Lyne, and is east of the city of Manchester...
, was a toothpaste and soap powder laboratory technician at Colgate
Colgate-Palmolive
Colgate-Palmolive Company is an American diversified multinational corporation focused on the production, distribution and provision of household, health care and personal products, such as soaps, detergents, and oral hygiene products . Under its "Hill's" brand, it is also a manufacturer of...
who sponsored the project initially. By 1998 Steve was teaching at the University of Salford
University of Salford
The University of Salford is a campus university based in Salford, Greater Manchester, England with approximately 20,000 registered students. The main campus is about west of Manchester city centre, on the A6, opposite the former home of the physicist, James Prescott Joule and the Working Class...
as a professor of Space Physics and had students help out on several of Starchaser's early rockets. The first rockets were powered by sugar; in fact the company was sponsored by Tate & Lyle
Tate & Lyle
Tate & Lyle plc is a British-based multinational agribusiness. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index as of 20 June 2011...
until March 1996,when it became known as the Starchaser Foundation.
By December 1998, the company changed again and become a private limited company now known as Starchaser Industries. Engines were tested in 1999 at the Altcar Rifle Range in Merseyside
Merseyside
Merseyside is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. It encompasses the metropolitan area centred on both banks of the lower reaches of the Mersey Estuary, and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wirral, and the city of Liverpool...
. It moved to new premises in Hyde in January 2001; previously they had been assembled in his garage in Dukinfield. By this stage the company was sponsored by Microsoft and the Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
and employed twelve people.
On the 22nd November 2001, NOVA 1 was launched from Morecambe Bay as a full scale test of all rocket systems. It was never intended to be a full flight into space (above 100 km) as the UK Civil Aviation Authority restricts any rocket testing on the UK mainland to below 10,000 feet. NOVA 1 flew to a height of approximately 5,000 feet before parachuting back down into the bay. The mission was a complete success and became at the time the biggest rocket ever fired from the UK mainland.
In 2002 work began on NOVA 2, the pregenitor rocket system to Starchaser's Space tourism Vehicle Thunderstar. The aim of this mission was to focus on the capsule and life-supporting systems of the rocket. In 2004 there were successful tests of the NOVA 2 capsule's landing gear to investigate methods of recovery of the capsule by land. On 1 July 2008, the 57-foot Nova 2 was unveiled to the public and did extensive touring around the UK. NOVA 2 still sits unlaunched, however a launch may be likely in the near future.
Another smaller project is the Skybolt sounding rocket. Completed in 2006, this rocket is another fully reusable space rocket capable of sending up to 20 kg of cargo to a maximum altitude of 83 miles. This rocket is also testing an entirely new Starchaser engine, the STORM engine; capable of generating 7 tonnes of thrust and achieving a maximum speed of nearly mach 5. The rocket has since been used regularly in the Educational Outreach Program as an example of Starchaser's work.
Manned spaceflight
Starchaser hopes to launch manned missions from the UK is at all feasible, but as this outcome is unlikely in the foreseeable future Starchaser have bought land at Spaceport AmericaSpaceport America
Spaceport America is a spaceport located in the Jornada del Muerto desert basin in New Mexico, United States. It lies north of El Paso, north of Las Cruces, east of Truth or Consequences...
in New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
, next to the White Sands Missile Range
White Sands Missile Range
White Sands Missile Range is a rocket range of almost in parts of five counties in southern New Mexico. The largest military installation in the United States, WSMR includes the and the WSMR Otera Mesa bombing range...
, where the company owns 20 acres of land with buildings. It is likely any near future space flight rocket tests will have to be carried out here due to the UK CAA flight restrictions and the superior space-faring infrastructure already present in the US.
It had originally hoped to provide manned spaceflight by 2003. In June 2001, the company unveiled the 33 foot Nova manned rocket which if modified, could fly one person into space. Later, by 2005 the plan was for the manned rocket to be called the Thunderstar, launching from New Mexico. By 2007, the un-manned Skybolt rocket was unveiled, as a prototype for the Thunderstar.
Launched Rockets
- Starchaser 1 - 1 November 1993 from Bickerton, CheshireBickerton, CheshireBickerton is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, about eight miles north of Whitchurch in Shropshire. The parish also includes the small settlement of Gallantry Bank, with a total population of over 200...
- Flew to 2,400 feet, where its parachutes failed to open and ended in a crash.
- Starchaser 1A - 23 May 1995 from Sarn, Wales - An upgraded Starchaser 1 rocket and fully completed its objectives. Recovered by parachute.
- Starchaser 2 - 2 February 1996 from Otterburn, NorthumberlandOtterburn, NorthumberlandOtterburn is a small village in Northumberland, England, northwest of Newcastle Upon Tyne on the banks of the River Rede, near the confluence of the Otter Burn, from which the village derives its name. It lies within the Cheviot Hills about from the Scottish border...
- This was then the largest civilian rocket ever launched in Europe, and reached 1,890 feet; below the 3,000 feet planned. It was powered by sugar and sponsoted by Tate & Lyle. Operated correctly
- LEXX (Starchaser 3) - 7 February 1997 from Otterburn, Nothumberland - Starchaser 3 was sponsored by Pearson New Entertainment to promote their "Lexx" science fiction series. LEXX reached an altitude of 15,673 feet and became the first Starchaser rocket to break the sound barrier. Achieved all of its objectives.
- Starchaser 3 - 20 March 1998 at Okehampton, Devon - A rocket motor misfired shortly after launch and the rocket impacted the ground shortly after take off.
- TEMPEST - 5 March 1999 at Altcar, Mersyside - Tempest became the first Starchaser rocket to have a marine recovery. Successful launch and completed all objectives.
- Starchaser 3a - 20 August 1999 from Morecambe Bay at CartmelCartmelCartmel is a village in Cumbria, England, situated north-west of Grange-over-Sands and close to the River Eea. Historically it was in Lancashire; boundary changes brought it into the newly created county of Cumbria in 1974, yet keeping it within the boundaries of the traditional County Palatine...
Wharf - A height of 22 feet and reached an altitude of 20,000 feet with nine rocket motors; this was in close co-operation with the University of Salford. Generated over 4 tonnes of thrust. Completed all objectives.
- Sharp 1 - 2 May 2000 from Morecambe Bay - Flown to a height of over 18,000 feet and had nearly 5 seconds of supersonic flight. Recovered safely.
- Discovery - 6 July 2000 from Morecambe Bay - The world's first privately funded fully re-usable two stage research rocket. Sponsorship for this rocket came from The Discovery Channel. Flew to a maximum altitude of 19,000 feet and was recovered safely.
- Starchaser 4 (NOVA 1) - 22 November 2001 from Morecambe Bay - NOVA 1 is a 37 foot long craft, capable of transporting one person beyond the 100 km space threshold. The test had NOVA fly to 5,000 feet; at which point it became the largest rocket launched from British soil
Unlaunched Rockets
- SkyboltSkyboltSkybolt is a single stage space rocket designed and assembled by Starchaser Industries. It functions effectively as a scale model of Starchaser Industries' proposed Space Tourism Vehicle, "Thunderstar". Designed and built over 7 months and unveilled in 2006, Skybolt has yet to perform a full scale...
- Unveiled in 2006, this functions effectively as a scale model of Starchaser's Space Tourism Vehicle "Thunderstar". It is powered by a single STORM engine, generating over 7 tonnes of thrust. Capable of a maximum altitude of over 83 miles and achieving nearly Mach 5. Currently Skybolt tours with the Outreach Team at events and schools until a launch date is announced.
- NOVA 2 - Starchaser's newest rocket to date. At over 42 feet long and slightly wider in diameter than NOVA 1, it is Starchaser's biggest ever rocket. With an extensively tested capsule, NOVA 2's mission is to develop Starchaser's life support systems for its capsules. It is a direct precursor to the Space Tourism Vehicle.
Churchill Series
The first engines developed by Starchaser were liquid propellant engines all named after wartime British prime minister Winston Churchill. All Chrurchill operate using liquid Oxygen and Kerosene.Churchill MkI
Starchaser's first attempt at designing a rocket engine, and generated approximately 500 kg of thrust. Used oxygen and nitrogen mix to pressurise the engine.
Churchill MkII
Six times as powerful as its predecessor, the MKII had a maximum thrust of 3000Kg and used the same gas mixture to pressurise the system.
Churchill Mk III
The MkIII massively improves on the MarkII again; this time by a factor of five. Around 15,000Kg of thrust could be achieved from this engine; making it the most powerful engine Starchaser have. The pressurising gas was this time Helium.
Storm
The Storm engine is basically a scaled down Churchill MkIII for use in the Skybolt rocket. Able to produce around 7000Kg of thrust it acts as an operational successor to the Churchill research engines.
Education
The company operate an Educational Outreach Programme for schools and other similar entities in the UK. Using real examples of rockets and scientific principles, the programme aims to excite and inspire pupils to get interested in Science and Engineering. The outreach side of Starchaser contributes extensively to their much-needed funding. From 2005 onwards, due to the amount of money needed to continue research and development on the rockets increasing rapidly, the tour of schools became a more important part of the company.See also
- SkyboltSkyboltSkybolt is a single stage space rocket designed and assembled by Starchaser Industries. It functions effectively as a scale model of Starchaser Industries' proposed Space Tourism Vehicle, "Thunderstar". Designed and built over 7 months and unveilled in 2006, Skybolt has yet to perform a full scale...
- Black ArrowBlack ArrowBlack Arrow, officially capitalised BLACK ARROW, was a British satellite carrier rocket. Developed during the 1960s, it was used for four launches between 1969 and 1971...
- National Space CentreNational Space CentreThe National Space Centre is one of the United Kingdom's leading visitor attractions that is devoted to space science and astronomy. It is located in the city of Leicester, England, next to the River Soar on the A6.-History:...
- Virgin GalacticVirgin GalacticVirgin Galactic is a company within Richard Branson's Virgin Group which plans to provide sub-orbital spaceflights to the paying public, along with suborbital space science missions and orbital launches of small satellites...
- List of private spaceflight companies
- UK Space AgencyUK Space AgencyThe UK Space Agency is a United Kingdom government agency responsible for its civil space programme. It was established on 1 April 2010 to replace the British National Space Centre and took over responsibility for government policy and key budgets for space and represents the UK in all negotiations...
- United Kingdom Rocketry AssociationUnited Kingdom Rocketry AssociationThe United Kingdom Rocketry Association is an enabling body set up to promote and represent high power, medium power and model rocketry in the United Kingdom for educational, recreational and amateur research purposes....
- Tripoli Rocketry AssociationTripoli Rocketry AssociationThe Tripoli Rocketry Association is one of the two major organizing bodies for high power rocketry in the United States. It was founded in 1964 in the Pittsburgh, PA region as a high school science club, integrating both rocketry and space science...
- British Interplanetary SocietyBritish Interplanetary SocietyThe British Interplanetary Society founded in 1933 by Philip E. Cleator, is the oldest space advocacy organisation in the world whose aim is exclusively to support and promote astronautics and space exploration.-Structure:...