Space Transport and Recovery Systems, LLC (STAR Systems) is a startup aerospace venture dedicated to providing affordable access to space with the Hermes spacecraft: a suborbital space shuttle for everyone, built on the premise that anyone should be able to take a trip into space without spending their life savings. By combining the latest commercially available advances in materials science and hardware with over 60 years of lessons learned in aerospace technology and a “build-a-little, test-a-lot” mantra, STAR Systems is poised to provide lower cost, high frequency access to suborbital space on-demand for space tourists, academia and technology developers. Come join us for the ride, the sky is no longer the limit!
What We Do
At STAR Systems our primary focus is the development of the Hermes spacecraft and its constituent structural, propulsion, avionics and life support subsystems. The primary academic discipline behind this development is aerospace engineering.
Location
STAR Systems, LLC is currently located in the Phoenix metropolitan area of Arizona in the American Southwest, a region known worldwide for cutting-edge aerospace research and development. With the Mojave desert in Southern California to the west, White Sands and America's Space Port in New Mexico to the east, and aerospace development and testing grounds in Nevada and Utah to the North, Arizona is centered in a region that has played host to such notable R&D programs as the V-2 rocket, X-15 hypersonic research aircraft, the U-2 and SR-71 Blackbird spy planes, and even Space Shuttle operations.
History in a Nutshell
The Hermes spacecraft was originally conceptualized in 1978 by aerospace entrepreneur, Morris Jarvis. Between 1978 and 1993, Morris conducted intensive study into NASA's Space Shuttle program, interviewed astronauts and NASA engineers, and worked on countless spacecraft designs and numerous models for the Hermes spacecraft. In 1993, he founded "Satellite Transport and Retrieval Systems, Inc" (STAR Systems, Inc.) to begin experimental prototype development of Hermes spacecraft subsystems. By 2003, sufficient progress had been made in prototype development of several spacecraft subsystems to garner significant funding from sponsors and begin full-scale prototype development of the Hermes spacecraft. Between 2003 and 2008 these prototype subsystems were synthesized together into the Hermes spacecraft prototype which was intended to serve as a proof-of-concept, low-speed flight test model for substantiating the design of the vehicle. In 2008, significant sponsorship funding was again received to prepare the Hermes spacecraft prototype for travel and display at numerous events around the country. These efforts culminated in the Hermes spacecraft gaining media attention after being towed across the Bay Bridge and being showcased at the 2008 Intel Developer Forum (IDF) in San Francisco.
Concurrent Efforts
Starting in 2004, aerospace entrepreneurs, Kris Schneider, Mark Longanbach and Devon Chellevold, were concurrently working on a business venture to develop an architecture of commoditized space transportation systems. Between 2004 and 2007, several preliminary studies were conducted to research and conceptualize the vehicles necessary to comprise such an architecture. Based on the results of these studies, market research and the notable progress of other private, commercial spaceflight ventures, it was determined during that time that:
- the development of lower cost, suborbital spacecraft for space tourism represented the greatest near-term potential, in both profit and development feasibility, to jump starting the development of a space transportation architecture,
- a significant factor affecting efficient space transportation system development was propulsion system development and operations,
- a hybrid rocket propulsion system represented the most practical and feasible type of rocket for implementation into lower cost, suborbital spacecraft.
Based on these determinations, the team set forth conceptualizing such a hybrid rocket propulsion system known as the "Enabling Hybrid Rocket Propulsion System" (EHRPS), which was intended to jump start and enable development of the space transportation architecture. In 2007, a small, private investment was received to begin small-scale, proof-of-concept prototype development of the EHRPS for demonstrating a commoditized business model for rocket propulsion development and operations.
In 2008, Kris sought to gain experience in the political and legislative aspects of the aerospace and defense industry and accepted an internship in aerospace public policy in Washington D.C. During that time he reviewed congressional legislation and met with members of Congress and their staff on Capitol Hill to advocate the needs of the aerospace industry and the importance of human spaceflight to the United States.
In 2009, Kris then traveled to NASA Ames Research Center in Northern California to present the suborbital spacecraft and EHRPS concepts to venture capitalists, engineers and the media at a conference and business plan competition held in conjunction with the 40th anniversary of Apollo 11. While positive feedback was received at the event, it was determined that due to growing national economic turmoil at the time, the near-term possibility of securing private investments to continue development of the suborbital spacecraft and EHRPS concepts on a larger scale was low. Based on recommendations received at the event, the next year was devoted to revising the business development of the concepts and conceptualizing ways to achieve a substantially more attainable break-even point with a greater potential for return-on-investment. In June of 2010, Kris Schneider, Mark Longanbach, and Devon Chellevold resolved to complete development of the EHRPS concept prototype, with a successful static test-firing of the prototype conducted in July 2010. At that time, realizing the need for a more narrow focus towards propulsion system development, SDG Technologies Corporation was transformed into "Enabling Hybrid Rocket Propulsion System Program, LLC" (EHRPS Program) to oversee development of the EHRPS concept.
A New Era of Cooperation
In October of 2010, realizing that they had similar ventures, similar business plans and forecasts, similar design concepts, a similar long-term vision for commercial space transportation development, similar barriers-to-entry, and had separately focused on different aspects of prototype development towards similar suborbital spacecraft in a similar locale, the managers of STAR Systems, Inc. and the managers of EHRPS Program, LLC, collectively met and determined that cooperation, instead of competition, would be needed to overcome the barriers-to-entry facing both ventures, and thus collectively resolved to join resources and expertise into a single, focused venture. Between October 2010 and September 2011, the “Hermes team” invested thousands of dollars of personal funds and man hours to reinvigorate the Hermes spacecraft and its prototype subsystems in preparation for private, commercial spaceflight. During this period the team resolved to scale up the EHRPS concept prototype to a larger, demonstration prototype rocket to test and evaluate the commoditized business model for rocket propulsion development and operations enabled by its intellectual property. These efforts culminated in a static test-firing of the rocket in July 2011.
In August 2011, National Instruments invited the Hermes team to showcase the Hermes spacecraft, remote cockpit and demonstration prototype rocket at NIWeek 2011. During this time, thousands of people were able to see the Hermes spacecraft firsthand, interact with project personnel, and learn about the possibilities of commercial spaceflight. In October 2011, after receiving overwhelming support and enthusiasm for the Hermes spacecraft, the team resolved to reinvigorate STAR Systems as a limited liability company to begin a final pursuit for funding to complete development of the Hermes spacecraft. This Resolution (STARSYS-RES-2011-001) of the managers was signed into action on October 16th, 2011, thus setting the stage for the next steps in the Hermes story. STAR Systems, LLC is the cooperative result of a sum total of 50 years of experience in private, commercial space transportation system research, design and prototype development, and is poised for a big jump into the industry with the Hermes spacecraft.