SpinLaunch wants to launch satellites with a huge centrifugal launcher that accelerates to over 10.000 G.
In the century we live in, there is a new space race, mainly between Tesla (SpaceX) and Amazon (Blue Origin). Both focus on traditional methods of launching satellites into space, that is, on large rockets.
However, a small American company that is called SpinLaunch, develops a cheaper and environmentally cleaner way of launching satellites. The company was founded in 2014 by Jonathan Yaney in Sunnyvale, California.
SpinLaunch uses a giant centrifuge to launch things into space through kinetic energys. By “things,” we mean things that can withstand the G-force generated by spinning at 8.000 kilometers per hour (over 10.000 Gs), which is a class of material that currently does not yet include satellites.
However, last month launched a missile that looked like a rocket, using only 20 percent of the accelerator power.
The design is relatively simple. They bind the projectile with carbon fiber inside a vacuum chamber. This rotates until the centrifuge catches the desired one speed (8.000 km/h) and then the projectile is released from a tube more than 50 meters high. Something like the hammer throw in the Olympics. The rocket then ignites its engines at an altitude of about 61.000 m to reach an orbital speed of 28.200 km/h.
Το σύστημα εκτόξευσης της SpinLaunch μειώνει την εξάρτηση από τους παραδοσιακούς χημικούς πυραύλους, με στόχο να ελαχιστοποιήσει σημαντικά το κόστος πρόσβασης στο διάστημα, αυξάνοντας παράλληλα τη frequency launch. If successful, the accelerator idea is expected to lower the cost of launches and use much less power, with the price of a single space launch dropping to less than US$500.000.
The accelerator is electric and could reduce the amount of fuel needed to launch satellites. SpinLaunch estimates that its centrifugal engine uses four times less fuel than traditional rockets and has zero emissions. It is also 10 times cheaper per start because it can send multiple payloads in one day.
The company has two versions of the centrifugal accelerator. The masthead, which he successfully tested on October 22, stands upright in the middle of a New Mexico desert, so that the test vehicles do not move too far and become dangerous when descending. The submarine launcher is for test purposes only.
And the orbital launcher, which the company is targeting but has yet to build. He mentions that he is trying to build it and settle it in an unknown coastal area. SpinLaunch has applied for FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) approval. As soon as he gets the permit, he will start building it, which will be bigger than the unit test to make the projectiles gain more speed, but it will work on the same principle.
At this time, today's satellites would not survive a rotational launch due to the many Gs. However, the company says advances in electronics have created capacitors, chips and resistors that can withstand the huge G-forces generated by the centrifuge. . Testing of various satellite components has shown that vehicles could be durable to withstand launch.
With last month's test flight, SpinLaunch is planning several more tests for 2022. It hopes to launch commercial flights by the end of 2024.
It is worth noting that this method is not viable for launching manned spacecraft. The human body can withstand a maximum of 9 G in just a few seconds. The astronauts would be dead long before the centrifuge reached its maximum speed.