At the end of the year, NASA will test the revolutionary suborbital accelerator launch system of the North American aerospace company SpinLaunch, more sustainable and cheaper than the traditional system, by virtue of a recent agreement signed between both entities.
SpinLaunch is an innovative new space technology company that has created an alternative method of putting 200-kilogram-class satellites into low-Earth orbit. Unlike traditional fuel-based rockets, SpinLaunch uses a ground-based, electrically powered kinetic launch system that offers a substantially less expensive and environmentally sustainable approach to accessing space.
The agreement signed is part of NASA’s Flight Opportunities Program that demonstrates innovative technologies for space exploration, discovery and expansion of space commerce through suborbital tests with industry flight providers.
“SpinLaunch offers a unique suborbital flight and high-speed test service, and the recent launch agreement with NASA marks a key turning point as SpinLaunch shifts focus from technology development to commercial offerings,” said Jonathan Yaney. , founder and CEO of SpinLaunch. “What began as an innovative idea to make space more accessible has materialized into a technically mature and revolutionary launch approach. We look forward to announcing more partners and customers soon, and we greatly appreciate NASA’s continued interest and support in SpinLaunch.”
SpinLaunch’s infrastructure resembles a giant steel vacuum cleaner, measuring 90 meters in diameter. A package is attached to an arm and then spun around a projectile to gain momentum at a speed of more than 8,000 kilometers per hour before being released into a tube and hurled into the atmosphere. SpinLaunch says its system could reduce fuel use four times and costs ten times compared to the traditional rocket launch method.
