The head of Roskomos Rogozin joked that with the help of rockets launching astronauts into orbit using a trampoline, this is unlikely to happen in a serious case. But life is far more bizarre than many fantasies. NASA Signed an agreement with the Spinlaunch Company for the preparation of tests Apparatus for testing new technologies for launching objects into space It is based on the principle of a catapult or sling.
The idea of SpinLaunch Home is that you can get from the first, free and expensive part of the launch vehicle, if you immediately start to the edge of space with height. At this altitude, the spacecraft can simply be dropped like a giant sling projectile, spinning inside the protective capsule on the centrifuge body. Then the introduction is reset, the main engine is turned on and the device goes into orbit – such a launch is ten times cheaper and 70% less fuel is achieved than in the assembly of a multi-stage rocket.
It is obvious that the capsule accelerates to 10,000 g during acceleration, so this method is not suitable for manned launches. But for launching a payload weighing up to 220 kg at a time into space, it is permissible. This is especially true in light of the most popular tiny satellites like the CubeSat. Spinlaunch is a purely commercial project and it does not hide that they intend to make money on access to spacecraft.
The carbon fiber capsule leaves the spinlaunch at Mach 6, over 8,000 km/h, but this will only be achieved by 2025. In the expected year, test suborbital launches at a speed of 1600 km / h are planned. Our task is to assemble our mobile stand, which will measure the parameters of such an unusual launch. And in the future, you can think about building a space catapult.
Source: Tech Cult
