This Startup Flung A Rocket Skyward With No Fuel, And It Worked
A new startup, SpinLaunch, put a rocket into orbit using zero fuel. The company uses a centrifuge that spins at 5,000 miles per hour and then lets go.
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A new startup successfully launched a rocket into space using no fuel. The “Holy Grail” of clean, reusable, and cheap rockets has been chased for decades. This has led many to ask themselves if there’s a better way to get to space than a rocket.
The U.S. military’s HARP (High Altitude Research Project) proved more than 50 years ago that rockets did not need fuel to reach orbit. HARP successfully fired ballistic missiles using a giant gun tube. Other alternatives to reaching space include huge balloons. However, fuel-powered rockets have dominated space exploration since the beginning.
On October 22, in Space Port America, NM, a new kind of rocket was launched at supersonic speed. All that could be heard was a loud sonic boom, no fuel bursts. Then, the rocket disappeared into low earth orbit. Startup SpinLaunch says that was the day their Suborbital Accelerator came to life. The suborbital accelerator is a 1,000-ton steel vacuum centrifuge that spins up to 5,000 miles per hour before releasing and launching a sonic space vehicle.
The Future Of Space Is Electric
Spinlaunch’s latest launch was not just a demonstration of the technology. The company is developing a larger machine, the Orbital Accelerator. It has also researched and developed satellite technology necessary to sustain high-velocity spins and the extreme Gs generated by their launch machine. As a result, the company can put in orbit up to 200 kilograms class satellites.
SpinLaunch’s success is causing a commotion in the space industry. Satellite launching is expensive. Prices can range from $100 million to $7 million, but SpinLaunch can get the job done for just half a million. “It is a fundamentally new way to reach space,” CEO Jonathan Yaney says. Not only are they reducing costs, but they can launch multiple times every day. According to Yaney, recent innovations in carbon fiber and miniature electronics are the main reason why no one built this type of system before. During their latest launch, they were also able to recover their supersonic flight vehicle.
The rocket equation says an object needs to reach a speed of 7.8 kilometers per second to hit orbit. But the more fuel you add to a rocket, the heavier it becomes. And the heavier a rocket is, the more fuel it needs. SpinLaunch wants to break free from this vicious circle. Set for back-to-back test launches for 2022, it is already booking its first clients. Their vacuum accelerator — the largest ever built in the world — stands taller than the Statue of Liberty in the silent desert of New Mexico. A new breed of technology inspired by the future of space exploration. Ready for countdown and lift-off.
Link Source : https://screenrant.com/spinlaunch-sends-rocket-space-no-fuel-how/