Spin Launch gains investment from Sumitomo Corporation.Photo of their Spaceport America facility via @thejackbeyer.>SpinLaunch and Sumitomo Form Strategic Partnership to Expand Global Commercialization of Sustainable, Low-Cost Space Solutions. Sumitomo has also made an investment in SpinLaunch.Founded in 2014, SpinLaunch has revolutionized access to space by building a ground-based, electric-powered mass accelerator launch system that delivers a low-cost, high-cadence, sustainable way to place small satellites into LEO. By leveraging SpinLaunch’s kinetic launch technology, up to 70 percent of the fuel and structures that make up a typical rocket are eliminated, dramatically reducing the carbon footprint of deploying small satellite constellations. SpinLaunch has also developed satellite solutions that complement its low-cost and high-cadence approach to space, meeting upcoming LEO constellation needs.“SpinLaunch is disrupting the launch service industry that has traditionally been the bottleneck of space utilization globally,” said Takao Kusaka, Executive Officer, General Manager, Lease, Ship & Aerospace Business Division, Sumitomo. “We are currently focusing on the development of our space business, for both national security and private sector space use, and SpinLaunch’s capabilities to further advance low-cost space launch solutions is a major asset for us, our customers, and stakeholders.”Through the partnership agreement, Sumitomo obtains the right to represent SpinLaunch’s mass accelerator launch services and related hardware products in Japan. Sumitomo plans to leverage SpinLaunch's capabilities to accelerate the accessibility of space, both for national security and private sector use in Japan.“This strategic partnership marks a milestone in SpinLaunch’s journey towards becoming the leading provider of low-cost space solutions globally,” said Wen Hsieh, Board representative of Kleiner Perkins. “The Sumitomo Corporation is one of the most prestigious institutions in Japan, and we are excited to have them join as both a partner and investor. This collaboration will accelerate our joint commitment to disrupting the space economy with more affordable, sustainable access to space.”“SpinLaunch is poised for growth as we continue to produce high-performance end-to-end space solutions at the lowest cost in the marketplace,” said Jonathan Yaney, Founder and CEO, SpinLaunch. “This collaboration signifies our shared commitment to delivering innovative and sustainable space solutions for our customers. We are excited about the potential of this strategic partnership and our ability to collectively expand our technology capabilities and bring massive disruption to the space economy.”<
How tight must the vacuum be? A “rough” vacuum suffices, he says. SpinLaunch maintains the vacuum with a system of airlocks operated by those millisecond-fast gates.Most parts, including the steel for the vacuum chamber and carbon fiber, are off-the-shelf, but those gates are proprietary. All Wrenn will say is that they’re not made of steel.
Any idea about how do they manage to seal back the vacuum after each launch? They say the system is not depressurized after each lunch, and that the gate is proprietary:QuoteHow tight must the vacuum be? A “rough” vacuum suffices, he says. SpinLaunch maintains the vacuum with a system of airlocks operated by those millisecond-fast gates.Most parts, including the steel for the vacuum chamber and carbon fiber, are off-the-shelf, but those gates are proprietary. All Wrenn will say is that they’re not made of steel.OK, but at least anyone has a vague idea about how the system works? How can they seal the gate in a few msec, before the pressure wave enter the vacuum chamber?
The tunnel requires re-evacuation between launches, but the chamber containing the rotor does not.
They use an air lock to exit the vehicle. The first photo shows inside door closing and the outside door opening as the vehicle passes through.
The video on Real Engineering goes into detail about it and the level of vacuum required (not anywhere near as tight as a vacuum chamber typically is):[snips]
In this role you will be responsible for developing software tools that measure and optimize the effectiveness and feasibility of advanced satellite communication constellations. This includes: • Working with the engineering team to optimize the constellation design • Developing optimization techniques and algorithms to solve complex telecom constellation design problems, such as beam • placement and interference mitigation • Using and creating software tools to model constellation performance, utilization, and lifecycles • Modelling global market demand for communication services and constellation support infrastructure (ground stations etc.) • Optimizing computational efficiency of in-house modelling tools
It was a privilege to host General Michael Guetlein, Vice Chief of Space Operations, United States Space Force at SpinLaunch HQ last week. His commitment to fostering stronger collaboration between government and industry was clear, as was his vision for accelerating the deployment of innovative technologies to strengthen national defense and space capabilities.During the visit, we showcased SpinLaunch’s integrated tech stack of low-cost space services and explored how our solutions align with the mission to maintain U.S. defense and space superiority. We’re excited to continue working with our nation's defense agencies to drive innovation in support of these critical objectives.
SpinLaunch CEO David Wrenn told Payload the funding would speed the development of the launch system and satellites that can survive 10,000Gs inside of it. “We recently moved on to demonstrating integrated satellites,” Wrenn said. “The next phase, obviously, is building out an orbital-capable launch system.” This year, the company demonstrated a “ruggedized” satellite for the first time in one of its centrifuges in a collaboration with Portland State University, a previously unreported milestone before putting them in orbit. Site selection for an orbital launch system is ongoing, Wrenn said.
