SpinLaunch very quiet for nearly a year, anybody have any insight?
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]
