Starstruck Inc. was a company cofounded by James Bennett and Phil Salin that attempted to perform low-cost orbital rocket launches using experimental, sea-launched hybrid rockets.[1] While a commercial failure, it is an important part of hybrid rocket history,[2] responsible for restarting commercial development of hybrid rockets.[3][4] One of its core leadership was former first Apple CEO Michael Scott. It was based in Redwood City, California.[5][1]
The company folded after three rockets were built and one was successfully launched to suborbital space. Several veterans of Starstruck founded the American Rocket Company (AMROC),[6] which also eventually failed. AMROC's intellectual property was acquired by SpaceDev.[citation needed]
Phil Salin ... a cofounder of StarStruck, uses this thought experiment to drive home a main point: A dramatic reduction in the cost of getting there is the key to developing space for human use.