Photo: Twitter/Chris Hadfield
With the space industry at an all-time high throughout the world, it’s no longer just about flying to space, but getting there with your own rocket, launched from your own soil. A husband and wife are planning to make this happen for Canada.
Building a rocket engine prototype in the garage is not quite the typical DIY project for a couple, but that’s what happens when one of them is an aerospace engineer. Haghighat Safari and his wife Saharnaz turned their passion into a successful business in just four years, they told CTV News.
Named SpaceRyde, the couple’s startup is already backed by the Canadian Space Agency. That’s no surprise, considering that they’re working on what will become Canada’s first-ever orbital rocket engine. Four of these engines will be taking a trailblazing rocket to space, with fire tests having already begun last year.
CTVS News reports that the launch method will be an unusual one. First, a high-altitude balloon will carry the rocket to the adequate altitude, which is around three times higher than that of commercial airliners. From there, it will be “aimed in right direction,” using advanced software. This method is considered more cost-effective and even better for the environment, because it burns less fuel.
The SpaceRyde founders also want to make satellite launches affordable, which will help expand the national satellite industry. Their pioneering rocket will be able to deliver small satellites up to the size of a mini-fridge. But their plans for SpaceRyde go far beyond that.
The couple ultimately envisions a rocket network – a series of small vehicles that would be capable of staying in orbit, for regular deliveries to the moon. In addition to that, the two believe that satellite launches from Canadian soil could be done on a daily basis in the near future.
Until then, the pioneering space startup’s first satellite launch is set for next year.
Named SpaceRyde, the couple’s startup is already backed by the Canadian Space Agency. That’s no surprise, considering that they’re working on what will become Canada’s first-ever orbital rocket engine. Four of these engines will be taking a trailblazing rocket to space, with fire tests having already begun last year.
CTVS News reports that the launch method will be an unusual one. First, a high-altitude balloon will carry the rocket to the adequate altitude, which is around three times higher than that of commercial airliners. From there, it will be “aimed in right direction,” using advanced software. This method is considered more cost-effective and even better for the environment, because it burns less fuel.
The SpaceRyde founders also want to make satellite launches affordable, which will help expand the national satellite industry. Their pioneering rocket will be able to deliver small satellites up to the size of a mini-fridge. But their plans for SpaceRyde go far beyond that.
The couple ultimately envisions a rocket network – a series of small vehicles that would be capable of staying in orbit, for regular deliveries to the moon. In addition to that, the two believe that satellite launches from Canadian soil could be done on a daily basis in the near future.
Until then, the pioneering space startup’s first satellite launch is set for next year.
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