Spinlaunch Possibilities
Back in November 2021, Brian Wang’s Next Big Future (and several pro & con Youtube videos), described how the startup company, Spinlaunch, managed to mechanically hurl a test payload into the sky. The ultimate goal is to sling a payload so fast that it could reach orbit. An interim goal would be hurling a rocket launcher at a lesser speed that would still be fast enough to replace the first stage of the rocket and greatly reduce fuel combustion used for launching material into space. The test facility has what looks like a propeller with a giant arm on either side of a central hub. The two giant arms turn at high speed inside a giant enclosed partial-vacuum chamber. At just the right moment, the payload is released. It rips through a membrane into the air and is flying. The ground crew can then replace the membrane, place a new payload on the propeller arm, pump the chamber back down to vacuum, and start the...