Three weeks ago, on October 22, a relatively small company named SpinLaunch tested a 1/3 scale prototype of the rocket launch system that they have been designing. This, however, is very different from all previous rocket launches in the fact that there is no first-stage to the rocket. Instead, the rocket is launched through the atmosphere by accelerating it to hypersonic speeds inside of a rotating drum and then releasing it at the precise time to send it straight up.
This is
a very interesting idea and definitely strays from the normal methods of launch,
however, there are some issues and limitations with it. The first and probably
most obvious is that because this rocket needs to be spun extremely quickly in
order to escape earth’s gravity, the rotational forces are far too high for a
human to be able to survive. In fact, most payloads will need to be completely redesigned
to accommodate this launch method. Another problem is that when the rocket is
released, the drum will no longer be balanced which could pose issues for the
structural integrity of the machine.
There are
many advantages to this approach though. These advantages could include quicker
launches, possibly multiple times per day, more energy-efficient than standard rockets,
better for the environment, and cheaper cost per launch. While there are many
things they need to overcome, it cannot be overstated that the 1/3 scale launch
on October 22 was a success so SpinLaunch has clearly been able to overcome
many of the engineering issues presented by this launch method.
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