ARS Technica by Eric Berger - 4/11/2022
"We knew better as untrained college students."There's a small rocket company based in eastern California named Pythom Space. And like a lot of space startups, it has big dreams. In this case, co-founders Tina and Tom Sjögren have the goal of flying to Mars in 2024—and if not then, by 2026.
So Pythom Space is pressing ahead with its ambitious goal of building a rocket, a spacecraft, and a Mars lander. The company's first step is to build a small rocket, Eiger, with the capability to lift 150 kg to low Earth orbit. According to the company's website, 90 percent of a rocket's cost in the traditional space industry is related to personnel. Accordingly, the website says, "Pythom runs small teams and tight facilities, building in the spirit of early explorers such as Lewis & Clark and Roald Amundsen."
Lasting about 2 minutes and 40 seconds, the video shows a number of instances in which Pythom employees appear to be handling the Eiger rocket and its hypergolic propellants (furfuryl alcohol and nitric acid) with less than industry-standard care. At one point in the company's promotional video, a handful of employees can be seen running from an expanding cloud of dust and exhaust.
More:
https://arstechnica.com/science/2022/04/pythom-space-tests-its-rocket-with-questionable-safety-practices/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GkzxeDQRj0
