Starchaser Industries

The creator of Starchaser Foundation, Steve Bennett of Dukinfield was a laboratory technician at Colgate. Later, Steve taught at the University of Salford as a part-time lecturer of Space Physics. Colgate initially sponsored his project and was later aided by Salford University. The Starchaser Foundation was created in March 1996. The company was sponsored by Tate & Lyle as the first rockets were powered by sugar.

In December 1998 the foundation become a private limited company 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. The company was sponsored by Microsoft and the Discovery Channel and it employed twelve people.

On 22 November 2001, Starchaser 4 was launched from Morecambe Bay as a full-scale, non-space test of its rocket systems. The rocket flew below 10,000 feet to comply with UK Civil Aviation Authority rules. Starchaser 4 flew to a height of approximately 5,538 feet before parachuting down into the bay. In 2001 Starchaser 4 was the biggest rocket ever fired from the UK mainland. The rocket was originally intended to be reusable but was damaged on landing.

In 2002 work began on NOVA 2 the progenitor rocket system to Starchaser's intended 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 from land. On 1 July 2008, the 57-foot Nova 2 was unveiled to the public and toured around the UK. NOVA 2 still remains unlaunched.

Starchaser hoped to launch manned missions from the UK but due to the UK CAA flight restrictions, Starchaser has bought 20 acres of land with buildings at Spaceport America in New Mexico next to the White Sands Missile Range. It is likely any near future space flight rocket tests by Starchaser will be carried out in the US.

In June 2001, the company unveiled the 33 foot Nova manned rocket in which it planned to provide single, manned spaceflight by 2003 with plans for another rocket called the Thunderstar launching from New Mexico in 2005. None of these plans came to fruition. In 2006, the un-manned Skybolt rocket was unveiled as a prototype for the intended Thunderstar, neither have been launched.

Below is a list of key rocket tests Starchaser has undertaken as well as their outcome.[3]

The company operate an Educational Outreach Programme called SPACE4SCHOOLS,[9] 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. Some of the main purposes of the program is to engage students in activities where they can design and modify their own science experiments. The purpose of these activities is to help pupils develop their research abilities, to collect data and verify their hypothesis.

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. The Skybolt 2 rocket which was successfully launched on 11 September 2017 toured thousands of schools.[10]

In 2002 Steven Bennet took legal action against the BBC corporately (and Dr David Whitehouse, the BBC's award-winning science correspondent, personally. Such personal action was not legally required.) in response to a critical article written by Whitehouse. Bennet claimed that the article contained a number of errors and false allegations.[11][12] The BBC defended its article robustly pointing out the absurdities of many of Mr Bennett's claims. Just before the trial, scheduled for July 2003 Starchaser backed down and said they would withdraw their case if the BBC agreed to pay Starchaser's costs. The BBC was prepared to go to court, especially given Starchaser's lack of confidence in their case, but in the interests of saving licence fee payer's money agreed to pay Starchaser's costs. The BBC did not issue Starchaser with an apology and continues to stand by its article, recently noting that 18 years after the original article Starchaser are no closer to getting into space.

• List of private spaceflight companies

• Official website