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A California startup has devised a “revolutionary” idea for getting satellites into space.
SpinLaunch is a startup that has pitched a new way to get satellites into space. The startup is developing a launch platform that would use centrifugal force to “spin” projectiles up in an attempt to send satellites into space. The platform would use the force to get a small rocket into orbit.
The launch platform’s concept “shares a lot more in common with maybe, like, an amusement park ride than it does with a rocket,” SpinLaunch CEO Jonathan Yaney told CNN.
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The project arose from a desire to find a new, affordable way to send rockets into space.
“SpinLaunch was just an exercise in taking a fresh look at how can we use renewable energy and ground-based energy to really just do this in a different way,” Yaney said. “I ran about maybe 20 or 30 different scenarios from rail guns to electromagnetic accelerators, to, you know, space cannons, to light gas guns.”
The company concluded that a giant centrifuge was the best option. Each launch would only cost $2,000 of electricity to launch, according to Yaney. If accurate, it would be significantly cheaper than the $900,000 in fuel it would cost to launch a SpaceX ship into space.
The startup has existed for seven years and has received funding from tech investors such as GV and Airbus Ventures. The company has completed nine high-altitude test flights with a smaller version of what it envisions and expects that the centrifuge would need to spin at 17,000 miles per hour to generate enough force to send it careening into the sky.
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The project is still in early development and faces scrutiny over whether it would be safe for the machines in question. It would also be limited to satellite launches because any human attempting to be launched by the centrifuge would be crushed by the resulting G-force. The company announced in April that it was partnering with NASA to test its launch system.
Other space startups have attempted to create alternatives to rocket launches, including Virgin Orbit and Rocket Lab. While NASA and other space agencies have sought alternatives to the fuel-focused rocket launches, none have stood out to date.
