This Company is Putting a Creative Spin on Innovation in New Mexico
Everyone knows you need a rocket to launch satellites into orbit, but SpinLaunch is working to develop a more sustainable and cost-effective system out of Spaceport America in New Mexico.
SpinLaunch’s ground-based system uses kinetic energy to fling satellites into space. In addition, the company has successfully tested its Suborbital Accelerator, which is a critical stepping-stone in SpinLaunch’s path to orbit.
The 33-meter mass accelerator offers testing capabilities to customers and provides long-term value as a satellite qualification facility.
In the spring of 2022, SpinLaunch formalized a partnership with NASA and will fly a NASA payload on the Suborbital Accelerator to provide information about potential commercial launch opportunities.
The next milestone is SpinLaunch’s Orbital Launch System, which will accelerate a launch vehicle containing satellites up to 5,000 miles per hour using a rotating carbon fiber arm within a 300-meter diameter steel vacuum chamber.
More than 70% of the fuel and structures that make up a typical rocket can be eliminated. Then, above the stratosphere, a small, inexpensive propulsive stage provides the final velocity for orbit. The first orbital launches are planned for 2025-26.
Spaceport America, where SpinLaunch eases more than 10 acres, offers a unique geographic location adjacent to historic White Sands Missile Range, allowing for restricted airspace. And while the spaceport is in a remote area, it offers strategic access to top universities and aerospace engineering talent.
SpinLaunch is targeting a launch price of $500,000 for 200 kilograms of payload at a pace of five to 10 launches a day, far more frequent and cost-efficient than any existing rocket launch system.
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