SpinLaunch uses a kinetic launch system to hurtle payloads into space

15 Nov 2021

SpinLaunch’s new system focuses on a carbon-free emissions launch to hurl payloads into orbit. (Image Credit: SpinLaunch)

So crazy, it just might work.

For over fifty years, rockets have launched humans and vehicles into orbit, but what if we used a completely different approach? SpinLaunch, a California-based startup, is developing a kinetic launch system, which successfully performed its first test flight on October 22^nd at SpacePort America in New Mexico. The prototype vehicle reached supersonic speeds and was recovered for reusability purposes. More flight tests are expected in 2022, featuring different vehicles launching at different velocities. SpinLaunch plans to launch consumer satellites into orbit in late 2024.

The startup began developments in 2015, aiming for a carbon-free emissions launch that allows satellites and spacecraft to reach orbit. It achieves this through a massive 165-foot tall accelerator powered by an electric drive to hurl payloads into orbit. Of course, this system potentially reduces fuel consumption by four times while costing ten times less than other launches that rely on rockets. SpinLaunch also says it could launch several payloads into orbit each day.

Currently, the company is using its Suborbital Accelerator to perform test launches. It features an upright disc-shaped vacuum chamber using a carbon fiber tether to spin projectiles at 5000 mph. After full acceleration, the tether releases the payload through a launch tube, where it’s thrown into the atmosphere before reaching orbit. The first launch test flight only used approximately 20% of the accelerator’s capacity, reaching an altitude of thousands of feet.

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SpinLaunch completed its first-ever prototype vehicle launch on October 22^nd in New Mexico. The company plans to perform an additional 30 suborbital test flights over the next six to eight months. (Image Credit: SpinLaunch)

Even though the prototype vehicle didn’t have a rocket engine, the company plans on implementing one along with other internal systems in future test flights.

However, the L100 Orbital Mass Accelerator is specifically designed to launch payloads into orbit. It works just like the Suborbital Accelerator, launching satellites weighing up to 440 pounds. The company says that miniaturized capacitors, resistors, and chips are more rugged due to advancements in electronics, allowing them to survive 10,000 g in the launch chamber. Furthermore, its testing has also proven that satellites can endure these fast-spinning conditions.