NASA has been looking for viable alternatives to rocket launches for some time now. In particular, the high fuel consumption associated with each of the launches, and the millions of investments that evaporate in just a few seconds. In this sense, one of these projects is a kind of slingshot for launching non-powered ships into space. The project, approved in 2021, has just successfully passed the first tests. Hand in hand with SpinLaunch, the company that built the rocket launcher, NASA is a little closer to saving millions of fuel for space exploration. And also launch rockets left and right.
The SpinLaunch project bears little resemblance to a regular launch pad. It could very well resemble a giant antenna or even a vacuum cleaner – one of the automatic ones. The model is based on a kinetic system, which, in simple terms, achieves the following: launch objects from outside, creating a giant slingshot. In this case, the launched object will be a spacecraft, which will have to develop a speed sufficient to do without propulsion engines.
The space slingshot project for NASA, which has been under development since 2015, has a diameter of 91 meters and reached a speed of almost 8047 kilometers per hour. Spinning on its own and functioning as a disc or frisbee, the ship remained tethered to the platform until it gained the required speed. It would then simply fly out of the tube to take its place in space. Explanation for non-specialists, the visual effect is a confetti bomb exploding in the air.
Does this mean that it was possible to do without starting fuel at all? At the moment they are realistic and suggest that the zero point is still far away, but point to 4x fuel reduction and 10x savings compared to traditional starting. This would undoubtedly be a success for NASA, as it would increase the volume of launches and significantly reduce their cost. A goal that the space agency has been pursuing for many years.
A slingshot for all NASA missions?
Is it used to launch NASA human spacecraft? Its founder Jonathan Yani answers this question simply. “This is a revolutionary approach to launching satellites into space”. An answer that makes sense given that the weight of the payload should be as low as possible and the risks to human payload are higher with this type of launch. On the other hand, the satellites chosen for this type of launch must be prepared to withstand the speed they will be subjected to prior to launch.
After a successful test at its headquarters in New Mexico since October, this space slingshot will continue to test its method throughout 2022. It is expected that NASA and the rest of the company’s customers will be able to access the system. during 2024, which will be implemented in subsequent years.
This model, together with Elon Musk’s SpaceX rocket launch recovery model, represents a revolution in NASA’s space exploration sector. Based on cost savings and efficiency, new companies in the space sector have been striving for this principle for years. The space slingshot lowers launch costs, as do Elon Musk’s offshore landing pads. in which we were able to see hundreds of rockets landing vertically, extending the life of millions of dollars worth of equipment and, according to Musk, waste.
Source: Hiper Textual
