Bagaveev NanoSat launcher

[TrevorMonty]

Another launcher targeting the NanoSat and CubeSat market, different class again from Rocketlab and Firefly.

http://bagaveev.com/

Launch 12kg NanoSats for $1M hope to drop this to $200,000 with reusability.
Developing a aerospike engine. They may very will be the first to commercially fly one of these.
 


http://www.google.co.nz/url?url=http://powersource.post-gazette.com/powersource/latest-nuclear-power-generation/2014/10/12/Venture-Capitalists-Return-to-Backing-Hard-Core-Science/stories/201410120259&rct=j&frm=1&q=&esrc=s&sa=U&ei=l1k8VN60DYjt8AWH9oKgBQ&ved=0CDMQFjAF&usg=AFQjCNEM-t4wY4AKUF3tIljWXnB7Wv75Aw

Bagaveev can only dream of that kind of money. It raised just $535,000 in seed funding in April from a group of investors to develop reusable launchers that can send a satellite weighing up to 22 pounds into space — a technology that Nadir Bagaveyev, the company’s founder and chief executive, says will help open outer space to small companies that cannot afford multimillion-dollar satellites.

“We’re like the UPS of space,” Bagaveyev said. “You bring it to us, and we promise to bring it up within a week to a month.”

Bagaveev will use the seed money, Bagaveyev said, to try to prove that his idea has potential. The startup is planning its first test launch at the end of the year, and Bagaveyev hopes that will help the company attract more investment.

“We’ll show what we’re capable of, and then we’ll be back for more investment,” he said. “I think investors are bored with investing in another messaging app. And our idea is crazy enough that it might just work.”

[Danderman]

They come well equipped with an aerospike engine.

[jongoff]

I've met Nadir before. He interned and then worked at Masten for a while, starting shortly after I left to found Altius. I didn't interact with him enough to know how serious to take this. I'm skeptical on principal, but hope they can make things work.

~Jon

[R7]

The kickstarter video left me dubious.

2014: Couple 3D printed chambers producing unstable flame and sparks. A metal cube in a bowl of LOX squirting some liquid when driven by power drill.
2015: launch into LEO by end of the year.

Seems reality deficient.

And where's the rocket, it's supposed to fly about now: "if everything works well, we may do our first launch even earlier around October 2014". The kickstarter fell flat on its face but they got 4x the money from angel investor so things seem to work well for them.

[jongoff]

The kickstarter video left me dubious.

2014: Couple 3D printed chambers producing unstable flame and sparks. A metal cube in a bowl of LOX squirting some liquid when driven by power drill.
2015: launch into LEO by end of the year.

Seems reality deficient.

And where's the rocket, it's supposed to fly about now: "if everything works well, we may do our first launch even earlier around October 2014". The kickstarter fell flat on its face but they got 4x the money from angel investor so things seem to work well for them.

Yeah, while they're using the right buzzwords, I'm far from convinced they have the skills or resources to pull this off. Masten started with a similar investment, and it took a lot more time and money than we had originally planned to get to the low altitude hovering vehicles they're doing today. I'm sure getting to a suborbital sounding rocket ala AA's Stig might be something doable for ~1-2M, but serious progress towards an orbital LV sounds more expensive than that unless I'm missing something.

~Jon

[rst]

Bump for these guys seeking more investment:  they presented at the Y Combinator Demo Days.  Y Combinator is a startup incubation program, mostly for software startups, though they're branching out (this batch also had several in biotech).  Demo Days are brief presentations to an audience of mostly investors, with a smattering of celebs and journalists.  Haven't seen anything on new technical detail in press coverage, but I might have missed something.

One of several stories here:

http://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/blog/techflash/2015/03/y-combinator-demo-thons-first-day-raises-a-big.html?page=all

[Gliderflyer]

Nadir has a youtube page where he has posted some videos of his rocket engine developments. Looks like they are experimenting with machined conventional engines as well as aerospikes.

[R7]

From Sugar Shot thread:

Friends of Amateur Rocketry activities on March 21, 2015

Published on Mar 25, 2015
mojaverockets
Several rocket motor tests at the FAR site in the Mojave Desert

At about 8:10 there are a few pictures of Bagaveyev's aborted launch attempt. Small rocket with big fins. Peculiar launch rail hugging the rocket from all sides, apparently fins are supposed to pass through those narrow slits.

[Malderi]

Looks like they completed a (rather short distance, unguided) test flight. Next up is developing a guidance system.

[QuantumG]

I think I've lost count of the number of "first" 3d-printed rocket engines I've seen fly.

[Gliderflyer]

I was at FAR last weekend and happened to get some pictures of Nadir's rocket. Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures of the launch due to camera issues.

[TrevorMonty]

Angel investor article which mentions Bagaveev. Nothing really new.

http://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/blog/techflash/2015/06/6-new-space-startup-to-watch-in-bay-area-as-sector.html#g5

[R7]

Looks like they completed a (rather short distance, unguided) test flight. Next up is developing a guidance system.

*struts, support plate and tubing visibly bent, wires burnt and mangled*

Alright, our engine section is intact.

*inspects the blown away forward end*

The parachute didn't open, why not?

Well, it may have something to do with the nosecone touching the ground while the engine is still on. 

[Katana]

I was at FAR last weekend and happened to get some pictures of Nadir's rocket. Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures of the launch due to camera issues.

What's behind the engine? lots of pumps? valves? servo systems?

[ChrisWilson68]

Going the Y Combinator route was smart, because that gets them an audience of software investors who are eager to find something new to invest in and don't know enough about the rocket business to realize the whole launch industry is not a very good place to invest in general and this particular team isn't very credible.

[Gliderflyer]

I was at FAR last weekend and happened to get some pictures of Nadir's rocket. Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures of the launch due to camera issues.

What's behind the engine? lots of pumps? valves? servo systems?

As far as I could tell the stuff behind the engine was propellant lines and valves for the engine and ignition system. The rocket was pressure fed and had no pumps, although Nadir appears to be working on 3D printed turbopumps.

[R7]

As far as I could tell the stuff behind the engine was propellant lines and valves for the engine and ignition system. The rocket was pressure fed and had no pumps, although Nadir appears to be working on 3D printed turbopumps.

Yes, the imagery shows tubing, hoses, fittings, 1/32" solenoid valves. Wondering what the blue box made in china on the other side is.

The turbopump seems to need some more time to get it's bearings... 

Btw what does that rocket burn and did they state the intended altitude for that test flight?

[Gliderflyer]

Btw what does that rocket burn and did they state the intended altitude for that test flight?

The rocket runs on LOX and subcooled propane. They had a heat exchanger inside the LOX tank that they would flow the propane through to chill it. I don't remember how high they said it would go, I think is was around a couple kilometers. It wasn't fully fueled for this flight and they were aiming for a 6 second burn. With full tanks, they said it could theoretically reach 100km.

[Gliderflyer]

Looks like Nadir is back in Russia: https://kazved-ru.translate.goog/news/tatarskiy-ilon-mask-nadir-bagaveev-planiruet-sozdat-konstruktorskoe-byuro-v-kazani-5819128?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-US&_x_tr_pto=nui