‘10,000 times the strength of Earth’s gravity’

A California company has technology that will likely catch the attention of the public Punkin Chunkin community.

That’s because SpinLaunch is developing a large spinning arm that uses kinetic energy to launch 440 pounds satellites in low orbit, with successful tests already underway. It is important to highlight that the process does not need rocket fuel to work. Everything is powered by electricity.

“This is no rocket ship and clearly our ability to run so many tests in just 11 months and have them all work as planned is truly a testament to the nature of our technology,” said founder and CEO Jonathan Yaney. he said in a Space.com report from 2022, shortly after the tenth successful launch. The goal is to shoot constellations of satellites skyward — less than 600 miles high — by 2026, according to the report.

Satellites are used by scientists to monitor the health of our planet from above, identifying pollutant methane leaks, among other research. So a cleaner way to get them into the sky is exciting science.

Kinetic energy has been used by humans for centuries through trebuchets and siege engines during war, launching heavy objects great distances. Pumpkin throwing contests, commonly called Punkin Chunkin, remain a popular way to teach the physics of kinetic and potential energy with similar man-made machines.

SpinLaunch’s contraption will probably make some chuckers wonder how many pumpkins they could put into orbit if they had the chance.

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The invention looks a giant vertical disc with a cylindrical barrel pointing upwards. A 108-foot-long rotating arm rotates in 5,000 miles per hour to get you the best adventure, Space.com and the company report. The vehicle travels at up to six times the speed of sound.

The company credits low-cost, high-strength modern carbon fiber and miniature electronics as key components behind the innovation.

“Modern electronics, materials and simulation tools allow satellites to be adapted to the launch kinetic environment with relative ease,” the company said. States on your website. The technology must resist vacuum, in addition to very fast acceleration.

A video clip shared by the company shows the increase as a test launch is about to take place at its New Mexico facility. Experts are seen monitoring screens while others sit in control areas, similar to a scene from NASA. When the ship leaves the pipe, there is no exhaust to track it. If you blink, you’ll miss it completely.

SpinLaunch was founded in 2014 and since then its leadership team has raised tens of millions of dollars in funding. The company has worked with NASA, Airbus and Cornell University, launching some of its equipment as part of tests. The technology has so far withstood 10,000 Gs, “10,000 times the force of Earth’s gravity,” all of this per the Space.com report.

If the SpinLaunch concept proves credible, it could to eliminate the fuel payloads that are burned to launch spacecraft. In 2016, Business Insider noted that SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket used more than 900,000 pounds of propellant for each takeoff, for reference. Fuel efficiency may have improved a bit since then.

CBC News reports that a growing number of launches are beginning to come under scrutiny, especially with regards to the health of the ozone layer. The barrier protects protects us from some of the sun’s harmful radiation.

SpinLaunch can surpass the ozone lTheyou without harming you. The company’s next step is to create a coastal orbital launch site aimed at building on its early success.

“It has proven itself to be a repeatedly reliable system,” Yaney he said in the history of Space.com.

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