The US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) plans to test an unconventional system for launching small objects into low Earth orbit later this year. According to space.comThe space agency has signed an agreement with California-based startup SpinLaunch to test its extraordinary whirl ‘n’ hurl space launch technology, which accelerates a launch vehicle to hypersonic speeds using an electric centrifuge, and hurls it skyward like a space disc.
The system aims to make space launches more affordable and environmentally friendly. SpinLaunch has been testing its system in the New Mexico desert for several months, and even conducted a successful first test in October 2021, hurling a 10-foot projectile to an altitude of tens of thousands of feet. In a statement, the company said its futuristic A-33 Suborbital Mass Accelerator works just like a “slingshot.”
Now, the test flight, expected later this year, will provide valuable information to NASA for possible future commercial launch opportunities, SpinLaunch said. The company also stated that the Space Act agreement is part of NASA’s Flight Opportunities Program, which helps demonstrate technologies that could help the agency’s science and exploration portfolios and fuel the growth of the private space industry.
Seen as a green alternative to fuel-based launches, the ‘kinetic’ launch system works by attaching a reusable rocket to a giant rotating arm inside an electric vacuum-sealed centrifuge and spinning it at several times the speed of sound. The rocket is then released and launched into space to launch payloads such as small satellites into low Earth orbit.
The giant slingshot machine is located at Spaceport America in New Mexico. It is slightly higher than the Statue of Liberty. While NASA plans to test the extraordinary machine later this year, SpinLaunch aims to launch its first orbital test flights in 2025. According to Space.com, the agreement with NASA is considered an important milestone in the company’s journey, said SpinLaunch founder and CEO Jonathan Janey.