https://sputnikglobe.com/20220412/worlds-first-space-catapult-to-shoot-objects-at-speeds-of-5000mph-into-cosmos-1094715351.html
World's First 'Space Catapult' to Shoot Objects at Speeds of 5,000MPH Into Cosmos
World's First 'Space Catapult' to Shoot Objects at Speeds of 5,000MPH Into Cosmos
Sputnik International
In 400 BC, the ancient Greeks invented the first known catapult. In 1957, the Soviet Union launched the Sputnik I satellite using a rocket propelled system... 12.04.2022, Sputnik International
2022-04-12T22:19+0000
2022-04-12T22:19+0000
2023-04-12T16:57+0000
nasa
catapults
space
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Satellites and supplies may soon be launched into space using technology inspired by ancient Greece, so long as a partnership with NASA and a California-based start-up group proves fruitful.US firm SpinLaunch detailed in a recent news release that its ‘in-the-works’ catapult will be capable of sending objects into space by flinging them at 5,000 miles per hour out of its 300-foot diameter vacuum chamber.The space catapult is intended to send a 440-pound payload into orbit for a fraction of the cost and environmental impact of traditional rockets. The final design is expected to be slightly taller than the Statue of Liberty, standing over 165 feet.The first orbital flights using the catapult are set to launch in 2025, with around 30 test suborbital flights planned over the next eight months. The test flights will take place at Spaceport America in New Mexico.The payloads are not completely rocket free. First, the catapult will launch the satellite or supplies as high as possible at 5,000 mph. Then, small rockets will help move the haul into orbit. The amount of rocket fuel required will be a tiny fraction of traditional rockets.Traditional rockets use over a half a million gallons of water. And while rocket fuel greenhouse emissions are relatively small compared to general aviation, the amount is large per launch, so it could become a problem as the space industry grows. Additionally, rocket launches have harmed fresh water supplies, and some rockets release aluminum oxide directly into the stratosphere, and the long term effects of that are not entirely understood.Space junk is also a growing problem, with a lot of discarded rockets and materials being left in orbit around the earth. SpinLaunch says 70% of the fuel and structures required by a traditional rocket would be eliminated using their space catapult.Interestingly, there is nothing especially technologically new in the system - it only required someone crazy enough to imagine a space catapult. A SpinLaunch release states that the firm “leverages existing industrial hardware and commonly available materials to construct the innovative accelerator system, achieving hypersonic launch speeds without the need for any fundamental advancements in material science or usage of emerging technologies.”The project is part of NASA’s Space Act Agreement, which recently signed deals with Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin. The intention of the agreement is to encourage private sector companies to develop the space industry.
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World's First 'Space Catapult' to Shoot Objects at Speeds of 5,000MPH Into Cosmos
22:19 GMT 12.04.2022 (Updated: 16:57 GMT 12.04.2023) In 400 BC, the ancient Greeks invented the first known catapult. In 1957, the Soviet Union launched the Sputnik I satellite using a rocket propelled system. Now, in 2022, a company is attempting to combine those two inventions in New Mexico.
Satellites and supplies may soon be launched into space using technology inspired by ancient Greece, so long as a partnership with NASA and a California-based start-up group proves fruitful.
US firm SpinLaunch detailed in a recent news release that its ‘in-the-works’ catapult will be capable of sending objects into space by flinging them at 5,000 miles per hour out of its 300-foot diameter vacuum chamber. The space catapult is intended to send a 440-pound payload into orbit for a fraction of the cost and environmental impact of traditional rockets. The final design is expected to be slightly taller than the Statue of Liberty, standing over 165 feet.
The first orbital flights using the catapult are set to launch in 2025, with around 30 test suborbital flights planned over the next eight months. The test flights will take place at Spaceport America in New Mexico.
The payloads are not completely rocket free. First, the catapult will launch the satellite or supplies as high as possible at 5,000 mph. Then, small rockets will help move the haul into orbit. The amount of rocket fuel required will be a tiny fraction of traditional rockets.
Traditional rockets use over a half a million gallons of water. And while rocket fuel greenhouse emissions are relatively small compared to general aviation, the amount is large per launch, so it could become a problem as the space industry grows. Additionally, rocket launches have harmed fresh water supplies, and some rockets release aluminum oxide directly into the stratosphere, and the long term effects of that are
not entirely understood.
Space junk is also a growing problem, with a lot of discarded rockets and materials being left in orbit around the earth. SpinLaunch says 70% of the fuel and structures required by a traditional rocket would be eliminated using their space catapult.
Interestingly, there is nothing especially technologically new in the system - it only required someone crazy enough to imagine a space catapult. A SpinLaunch release states that the firm “leverages existing industrial hardware and commonly available materials to construct the innovative accelerator system, achieving hypersonic launch speeds without the need for any fundamental advancements in material science or usage of emerging technologies.”
“What started as an innovative idea to make space more accessible has materialized into a technically mature and game-changing approach to launch," SpinLaunch CEO and founder Jonathan Yaney said in the release.
The project is part of NASA’s Space Act Agreement, which recently signed deals with Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin. The intention of the agreement is to encourage private sector companies to develop the space industry.
