posted 12-09-2019 11:09 AM               

Sugarhouse 1 is a single-stage suborbital rocket built from the ground up with one thing in mind: you. Every part was designed to make space access cheaper, easier, and faster. Whether its testing space technology, running a classroom experiment, or sending up grandpa's ashes, Sugarhouse 1 has you covered.

Sugarhouse 1 is the first suborbital vehicle to provide high-volume rideshare. In other words, you only have to buy as much (or as little) space as you need. Sugarhouse 1, in its rideshare configuration, can carry up to 39 U (10cm x 10cm x 10cm x 1.33kg) or 1,053 SugarCubes (3cm x 3cm x 3 cm x 48g). Have a payload with different dimensions? We'll work with you to make it fit.

Sugarhouse 1 also provides a unique experience once it reaches space. The vehicle opens up, exposing all payloads to the environment of space, and then closes back up shortly before its return to earth. So don't forget to add a camera to your payload, it's a view you won't want to miss.

Need power? Sugarhouse 1 can provide that too. The vehicle carries power sources so that you can launch more payload and less battery. Sugarhouse 1 will soon provide the option of data downlink so that you can receive live communication from your payload, as well.

posted 12-09-2019 11:14 AM               

Higher Orbits Student Experiment Launch Aboard Sugarhouse Aerospace Inaugural Suborbital Flight

Sugarhouse Aerospace's inaugural suborbital launch from Spaceport America in Sierra County, New Mexico, hosts many firsts, including educational endeavors created by high school students, setting the tone for a new private space movement.

The Dec. 14 launch hosts an art in space project created by participants of nonprofit Higher Orbits' Go For Launch! program that uses space to promote science, technology, engineering, art and math education. Participants work with astronauts and scientists to develop STEM or STEAM projects that are launched to sub-orbital space or to (be conducted on) the International Space Station. Team Pisces Project members Amelia Brinson, Sophia Crowder, Mukta Dharmapurikar, and Annie Sprague won the Go For Launch! 2019 Full STEAM Ahead Durham Series.

"The goal of this experiment is to determine how microgravity's effect on the surface tension and resulting shape of liquids changes paint's behavior on a canvas. The idea is to experiment with various colors, sizes, and angles of paint droplets to create an abstract form of art." said Mukta Dharmapurikar, who attends Durham Academy in Durham, North Carolina.

Through the generous support of Higher Orbits Launch Experience sponsor BRPH, all four Pisces Project team members will travel to Spaceport America in New Mexico to witness the once-in-a-lifetime experience of their experiment launching into suborbital space aboard the Sugarhouse Aerospace rocket.

This inaugural launch presents a learning curve for students and engineers. "This flight is about tesng our technology, but it's also about setting the tone for a new age in the private space movement — one of inclusion, accessibility, education, reach, and equal opportunity," said Steve Heller, CEO, Sugarhouse Aerospace. "So, we have a mix of elementary, high school, university, consumer, and marketing payloads on our first flight, which is pretty representative of what we're about."

"The arts and soft skills are crucial to developing the communication skills necessary for well-rounded and successful adults," said Rich Pruss, vice president and director of aerospace and government programs of BRPH, an architecture and engineering firm committed to STEM education and community.

Students are grateful for BRPH's sponsorship and the company's belief in their ability to contribute to the space science community of research. "That Sugarhouse Aerospace is willing to taking our project up on its first launch means a lot," said Annie Sprague, a sophomore from Riverside High School in Durham, North Carolina. "To think that art can be made in space without any human contact! I am fascinated and can't wait to see the results."

"The blended approach to this experiment fosters development of the student's creavity in problem solving skill set. This is a vital attribute to the architecture and design engineering workforce," Pruss said.

"We are honored to have the continued partnership of BRPH and Sugarhouse Aerospace in our mission to inspire the next generation of innovative and creative STEAMists and Explorers — our future workforce," said Michelle Lucas, Higher Orbits founder. "Space inspires! Through the generous and continued support of our mission partners like BRPH and Sugarhouse Aerospace, we are able to bring our life-changing Go For Launch! spaceflight STEAM experience to students throughout the United States."

New Mexico's Spaceport America has a history of serving as an incubator for new aerospace technologies, allowing creative thinking to leap from the notebook to space.