Stealth Startup SpinLaunch Raises $40 Million for Radical New Launch Strategy

space.com ^

[BenLurkin]

Silicon Valley startup SpinLaunch snagged $35 million in "Series A" funding from some big-name investors, including Airbus Ventures, GV (previously Google Ventures) and Kleiner Perkins, the company announced Thursday (June 14). Another group of investors had already chipped in $5 million.

The details of that approach remain mysterious; SpinLaunch has been in stealth mode since its 2015 founding. (The company's website requires a login.) But the basics involve accelerating "the launch vehicle to hypersonic speeds using ground-based electricity," SpinLaunch CEO Jonathan Yaney said in the same statement.

"Applying the initial performance boost from a terrestrial-based launch platform enables us to lower the cost by orders of magnitude and launch many times per day," he added.

Yaney declined to speak with Space.com for this story. But he did grant an interview to TechCrunch several months ago. During that discussion, he described SpinLaunch's concept as a "rotational acceleration method" that harnesses angular momentum (which makes sense, given the startup's name). Yaney also told TechCrunch that SpinLaunch is aiming for a per-launch price below $500,000, which would be much lower than a launch with the cheapest rockets.

[ConservativeMind]

Railgun rocket?

[PhiloBedo]

Interesting, though not enough information. My first thought is angular momentum equals high G forces in the lateral.

[rightwingcrazy]

“My first thought is angular momentum equals high G forces in the lateral.”

That was my first thought, too, but if you want to get into orbit, it’s hard to avoid high G forces.

[Rio]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpinLaunch

[Rio]

a novel technology will use a large centrifuge to store energy and will then rapidly transfer that energy into a catapult to send a payload to space at up to 4,800 kilometres per hour (3,000 mph).

[Rio]

SpinLaunch was founded in 2014 by Jonathan Yaney, who previously started Titan Aerospace, a solar-powered drone company and subsequently sold it to Google. They raised $1 million in equity in 2014, the year SpinLaunch was founded, $2.9 million in equity in 2015, $2.2 million in debt in mid-2017 and another $2 million in debt in late 2017. SpinLaunch has raised a total of $10 million to date.

Last month, a bill was proposed in the Hawaii state senate to issue $25 million in bonds to assist SpinLaunch with “constructing a portion of its electrical small satellite launch system.”

SpinLaunch employs a rotational acceleration method, harnessing angular momentum to gradually accelerate the vehicle to hypersonic speeds. This approach employs a dramatically lower cost architecture with much lower power.” SpinLaunch is targeting a per-launch price of less than $500,000.

[Rio]

The Slingatron would not replace rockets. It would complements rockets, freeing them to launch what they launch best. Slingatron is best suited to launch bulk materials such as water, fuel, building materials, radiation shielding, g-load-hardened satellites, etc. into orbit. It cannot launch people or very delicate equipment due to high acceleration (g) loads experienced during the launch cycle. However, bulk materials will account for the majority of mass launched into orbit if we are ever going to establish a major presence in space, whether those materials are launched from the Earth or from the Moon.

https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2018/02/spinlaunch-is-using-large-centrifuges-to-accelerate-to-payloads-into-space-target-500000-per-launch.html

[bigbob]

Giant Frisbee.

[PhiloBedo]

True, but with the conventional method, the g forces are along the axis. I’m thinking of the engineering required to handle high g forces pushing out to the side. Think of it like a stick being able to take a lot of pressure end to end, but not so much on the side.

[Rio]

An artist’s concept for a full scale Slingatron space launcher about 200-300 meters in diameter. The spiral track is mounted on support pylons which contain drive motors and counterweight flywheels. Payload assemblies are prepared for launch nearby.

In preparation for payload launch, the Slingatron is gradually gyrated up to approximately 40-60 cycles per second. Once the Slingatron track is cycling at launch speed, the payload module is released into the entrance of the track near the center of the rapidly gyrating spiral track. Once within the track, the payload module accelerates and quickly becomes phase-locked with the gyrating action of the entire platform as a result of the tremendous acceleration. The strong centrifugal force causes the payload module to continue accelerating throughout the spiral track. From the perspective of the payload module, it appears to be constantly sliding down a steep incline under a very high “gravitational force”, which is actually due to the centripetal acceleration. At high speed, the payload slides on a “plasma bearing” film that forms between the bottom of the payload and the surface of the steel track. This plasma bearing provides a very low coefficient of friction cushion which allows the rapid acceleration. When the payload reaches its launch velocity of about 7 km/sec in the last spiral turn, it then launches through a track angled up a hill or other structure to direct it into space.

[TChad]

http://fortune.com/2018/06/15/spinlaunch-space-catapult/

From the link above:

Bloomberg reports, “Rather than using propellants like kerosene and liquid oxygen to ignite a fire under a rocket, SpinLaunch plans to get a rocket spinning in a circle at up to 5,000 miles per hour and then let it go.”

I guess we're not talking about manned spacecraft here.

[BenLurkin]

Machines like that were one class of competition at “Punkin Chunkin” yes?

[PhiloBedo]

Thank you for the link. That answers a lot of questions.

[BenLurkin]

Buckets of bolts.

Aimed in the general direction of ChiCom spacecraft.

[JoSixChip]

Why does the image of Wacky Klackers pop into my head when I read this? They say angular momentum, but I bet they are using centrifugal force.

[Truthoverpower]

How bout them give me 5 million ?
I have lots of ideas

[fuente]

Hell of a way to avoid plumes with missiles or launch smart projectiles. Theoretically, depending on the heat dissipation requirements per launch, a set up liken this could launch very rapid fire.

[SunkenCiv]

The details of that approach remain mysterious; SpinLaunch has been in stealth mode since its 2015 founding. (The company's website requires a login.) But the basics involve accelerating "the launch vehicle to hypersonic speeds using ground-based electricity," SpinLaunch CEO Jonathan Yaney said in the same statement.

Oh boy, green space exploration. Thanks BenLurkin.

[struggle]

It could work on the moon, but not on the earth