Epoxycraft
Menu
  • About
  • Epoxy Basics
  • How To
    • DIY
    • Artists
    • Board Sports
    • Woodworking
    • Boat Building
  • Trade Secrets
  • Projects
    • DIY
    • Artists
    • Board Sports
    • Woodworking
    • Boat Building
    • Motorsport
    • Aviation
    • Architecture
  • Meet The Maker
  • News
  • Contribute
  • Contact

Projects: Chasing the stars: a progress update from pioneering rocket company Starchaser
31st May 2018

Chasing the stars: a progress update from pioneering rocket company Starchaser

The UK’s pioneering rocket company Starchaser has been working since 1992 to put the man in the street into low earth orbit. We asked Starchaser’s founder Steve Bennett for an update on progress.

“We know that 7 out of 10 people when asked say that they would love to take a trip into space,” said Starchaser’s CEO, Steve Bennett. “However, they also want it to be affordable and safe. That is what we have been working towards since 1992 and with our latest rocket we’re getting close.”

Steve realised a long time ago that there was an almost unlimited supply of ‘bucket listers’ who would jump at the chance to gaze down on Earth from over 100km up. To meet this demand, his team has been working with the University of Chester to develop a reusable rocket and detachable capsule to allow ordinary people to make this extraordinary trip. Evolving technology has helped, with new materials and systems arriving on the market all the time.

“We’re using WEST SYSTEM products to build parts of the new 12m (39 feet) rocket, which will be called Nova 2,” Steve said. “The WSI team has been really helpful and given us a lot of product and technical advice. Nova 2 will be able to carry one person but the final commercial design will be a rocket ship with room for three – one pilot and two paying passengers. It will be called the Thunderstar and we’ve most recently been working on the systems to bring its crew safely back to earth.”

Re-entry involves the capsule deploying a large parasail, similar to the one used by parascenders to allow them to fly over long distances. “The parasail is five times the size of an ordinary parachute and will allow the capsule to come down really gently,” Steve explained. “We’ve done a manned test already, with the designer of the parasail actually inside the capsule, so he clearly had faith in his product.”

The test drop was highly successful and you can see a video of it from several camera angles (including from the capsule itself) on the Starchaser website.

The Nova 2 rocket is being made from a combination of epoxy resin, carbon fibre and specialist composites, including a honeycomb aluminium core for the fins. The rocket engines have been developed from many successful launches of earlier designs, including the most recent Skybolt 2. This 8.3m (27 feet) rocket was launched from a mobile platform in Northumberland on September 11th 2017 and made it safely back to earth after a textbook flight.

The Starchaser team is now busily assembling the Nova 2, which should become operational early next year. “The process is a constant evolution of problem solving,” Steve said. “We’ve raised millions and spent millions but that is always the way with research and development. We’re learning as we go but with a very limited budget compared to other players. Even so, we are making great progress. Once we have a dependable and reusable rocket, then we can move forward with a business plan and make visiting space available to all.”

Starchaser is an active participant in education and offers a SPACE4SCHOOLS initiative to bring the excitement and scientific challenges of space travel to pupils of all ages. If you would like to get your school involved, then Starchaser will be happy to offer a visit that will meet the needs of the National Curriculum.

More information can be found at: https://www.starchaser.co.uk


Share on


Back to projects

Subscribe to our newsletter
Our unique epoxy knowledge and experience, delivered straight to you

Events

RYA Dinghy Show 2023 25th-26th February 2023

What is epoxy?

Epoxy Projects

Boat Building 2022 Projects – Top Picks

  • 22nd December 2022
Read More

Our Favourite Nick Zammeti Creations of 2022

  • 21st December 2022
Read More

Decorative Christmas Tree Decorations

  • 16th December 2022
Read More
1234567
1234567
  • Home
  • Epoxy Basics
  • Projects
    • DIY
    • Artists
    • Board Sports
    • Woodworking
    • Boat Building
    • Motorsport
    • Architecture
    • Aviation
  • Trade Secrets
  • How To
    • DIY
    • Artists
    • Board Sports
    • Boat Building
    • Woodworking
  • News
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contribute
  • Contact
West System
Pro-Set
Entropy Resins
Subscribe to our newsletter
Copyright © 2023 Epoxycraft | Website by MAA
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
Cookie SettingsAccept All
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
CookieDurationDescription
bcookie2 yearsLinkedIn sets this cookie from LinkedIn share buttons and ad tags to recognize browser ID.
langsessionThis cookie is used to store the language preferences of a user to serve up content in that stored language the next time user visit the website.
lidc1 dayLinkedIn sets the lidc cookie to facilitate data center selection.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
CookieDurationDescription
_ga2 yearsThe _ga cookie, installed by Google Analytics, calculates visitor, session and campaign data and also keeps track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookie stores information anonymously and assigns a randomly generated number to recognize unique visitors.
_ga_91ZH5F88XM2 yearsThis cookie is installed by Google Analytics.
_gat_gtag_UA_103456315_31 minuteThis cookie is set by Google and is used to distinguish users.
_gid1 dayInstalled by Google Analytics, _gid cookie stores information on how visitors use a website, while also creating an analytics report of the website's performance. Some of the data that are collected include the number of visitors, their source, and the pages they visit anonymously.
CONSENT16 years 3 months 20 days 13 hours 3 minutesThese cookies are set via embedded youtube-videos. They register anonymous statistical data on for example how many times the video is displayed and what settings are used for playback.No sensitive data is collected unless you log in to your google account, in that case your choices are linked with your account, for example if you click “like” on a video.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
CookieDurationDescription
_fbp3 monthsThis cookie is set by Facebook to display advertisements when either on Facebook or on a digital platform powered by Facebook advertising, after visiting the website.
bscookie2 yearsThis cookie is a browser ID cookie set by Linked share Buttons and ad tags.
fr3 monthsFacebook sets this cookie to show relevant advertisements to users by tracking user behaviour across the web, on sites that have Facebook pixel or Facebook social plugin.
IDE1 year 24 daysGoogle DoubleClick IDE cookies are used to store information about how the user uses the website to present them with relevant ads and according to the user profile.
test_cookie15 minutesThe test_cookie is set by doubleclick.net and is used to determine if the user's browser supports cookies.
VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE5 months 27 daysA cookie set by YouTube to measure bandwidth that determines whether the user gets the new or old player interface.
YSCsessionYSC cookie is set by Youtube and is used to track the views of embedded videos on Youtube pages.
yt-remote-connected-devicesneverYouTube sets this cookie to store the video preferences of the user using embedded YouTube video.
yt-remote-device-idneverYouTube sets this cookie to store the video preferences of the user using embedded YouTube video.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
CookieDurationDescription
AnalyticsSyncHistory1 monthNo description
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional1 yearThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
li_gc2 yearsNo description
pvc_visits_11[0]1 dayNo description
UserMatchHistory1 monthLinkedin - Used to track visitors on multiple websites, in order to present relevant advertisement based on the visitor's preferences.
SAVE & ACCEPT
Powered by CookieYes Logo