US company to use giant spinning cannon to blast hundreds of pancake-like 'microsatellites' into space

By Harry Baker
published yesterday

Rocket start-up SpinLaunch wants to catapult hundreds of flattened "microsatellites" into space at once, using a cannon-like machine that accelerates objects by spinning them. The first orbital demonstration is scheduled for next year.



An artist's interpretation of satellites stacked on top of one another like pancakes.
SpinLaunch's Meridian Space satellites will be stacked into a "launch bus" like pancakes before before shot into space on an accelerated rocket. (Image credit: SpinLaunch)

A California-based startup plans to launch hundreds of flattened "microsatellites" into low-Earth orbit at once, by firing rockets out of a giant centrifugal cannon. The first batch of pancake-like spacecraft could be shot into space as soon as next year — and could set a new record.

SpinLaunch is a private company that aims to fire payloads into space using giant, cannon-like machines. These "cannons" accelerate spacecraft using spinning arms inside a vacuum-sealed chamber, before shooting them upward out of a barrel faster than a speeding bullet. Using this novel technology, the company aims to establish its own satellite constellation, Meridian Space, which they claim could provide more cost-effective competition to the likes of SpaceX's Starlink network.

On April 3, SpinLaunch revealed that it had received $12 million in funding from Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace (KDA), putting its total funding close to $150 million. The announcement also revealed that KDA's NanoAvionics had been selected to build the first batch of 250 satellites in the Meridian Space constellation, which could be launched during an in-orbit demonstration test planned for some point in 2026.

On the same day, NanoAvionics also released a video explaining more about the new satellites. This revealed that each satellite will be shaped like a flat disk and placed on top of one another inside a "launch bus," like a giant stack of pancakes. Each satellite will be 7.5 feet (2.2 meters) wide and weigh approximately 154 pounds (70 kilograms), making them significantly lighter than most other communications satellites. For example, Starlink's current V2 satellites weigh around 1,760 pounds (800 kg) each.

More:
https://www.livescience.com/space/space-exploration/us-company-to-use-giant-spinning-cannon-to-blast-hundreds-of-pancake-like-microsatellites-into-space