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US Company Tests System to ‘Spin Launch’ Satellites to Space

时间:2022-11-04 01:52:15

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US Company Tests System to ‘Spin Launch’ Satellites to Space

An American company has carried out tests of a system that uses a high-speed spinning machine to launch satellites into space.

The machine – which is powered by kinetic1 energy – is meant to greatly reduce costs and fuel required for traditional rocket launches.

The California-based company that developed the system is called SpinLaunch. It announced its recent test launch last week. The launch took place on September 27 at Spaceport America, a private space launch complex in the western state of New Mexico.

The company said the tests involved payloads from several organizations, including the American space agency NASA. In a statement, SpinLaunch said all payloads tested "were flown and recovered successfully." It did not provide details on what the payloads contained.

SpinLaunch said the September tests included the 10th carried out since October 2021. It added that testing was observed "by more than 150 partners, government officials and industry advocates."

NASA signed an agreement with SpinLaunch earlier this year to develop and test a payload launch using the company's system. The agreement was signed as part of NASA's Flight Opportunities Program. The program provides the chance for private companies to work together with NASA to test new technologies the space agency might use in its future space operations.

NASA is examining the possibility of partnering with SpinLaunch to deploy2 future payloads using the company's launch technology. SpinLaunch said NASA cooperated with its team after the latest tests "to capture critical launch characteristics" of SpinLaunch's kinetic launch system.

SpinLaunch accelerator

SpinLaunch's Sub-Orbital Accelerator used in the tests is a 33-meter steel structure with an electrically powered spinning arm. A rocket is placed inside the accelerator. The system's high-speed turning motion produces kinetic energy designed to spin the rocket at speeds of more than five times the speed of sound.

The Sub-Orbital Accelerator is built to propel3 the rocket to near-Earth orbit. This is generally considered to be at an altitude of about 2,000 kilometers above Earth's surface. SpinLaunch has plans to keep expanding its technology and equipment to be able to send space objects into higher orbit.

The company says most satellites can handle the high spinning speeds, although some will require special modifications4 to work with the system. With the Sub-Orbital Accelerator, a separate propulsion system would be necessary for satellites to reach higher orbits.

SpinLaunch officials said tests of the system have resulted in the flight vehicles being recovered and that the rockets can be reused.

Jonathan Yaney is the founder5 and chief executive6 of SpinLaunch. He said in a statement that the latest flight tests will be "invaluable7" for SpinLaunch engineers as well as the company's partners. He added that the company will continue working to further develop the system to provide a "low-cost and sustainable" way to deploy satellites to space.

Yaney said the SpinLaunch system and the way it operates is much less complex than traditional rocket launching systems. This greatly cuts launch costs for large organizations and small companies alike. In addition, the lack of fuel needed to send objects into near Earth orbit represents a much more environmentally friendly system.

The technology is being tested as the demand for satellite deployments continues to grow. Market research company IMARC Group recently reported the worldwide small satellite market reached $3.68 billion in 2021. The group projects the market will rise to $8.84 billion by 2027.

Words in This Story

kinetic – adj. involving or producing movement

payload – n. the amount of goods or people carried by a vehicle

characteristic – n. a typical quality that makes one thing different from another

modify – v. top change something in order to improve it

propel – v. to push something somewhere with a lot of force

advocate – v. someone who supports a particular idea or cause

sustainable – adj. able to continue over time


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1 kinetic p2Fxs     
adj.运动的;动力学的
参考例句:
  • There exist many sources of energy both potential and kinetic.存在着许多势能和动能的能源。
  • The kinetic theory of gases is the best known example.气体动力学理论就是最有名的例子。
2 deploy Yw8x7     
v.(军)散开成战斗队形,布置,展开
参考例句:
  • The infantry began to deploy at dawn.步兵黎明时开始进入战斗位置。
  • The president said he had no intention of deploying ground troops.总统称并不打算部署地面部队。
3 propel GRUxg     
vt.推进,推动,激励,驱策
参考例句:
  • They use oars to propel boats.他们用浆推进船只。
  • Paddles are used especially to propel canoes and kayaks.短桨特别用于划独木舟和小艇。
4 modifications aab0760046b3cea52940f1668245e65d     
n.缓和( modification的名词复数 );限制;更改;改变
参考例句:
  • The engine was pulled apart for modifications and then reassembled. 发动机被拆开改型,然后再组装起来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The original plan had undergone fairly extensive modifications. 原计划已经作了相当大的修改。 来自《简明英汉词典》
5 Founder wigxF     
n.创始者,缔造者
参考例句:
  • He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
  • According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说,罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。
6 executive Ymlxs     
adj.执行的,行政的;n.执行者,行政官,经理
参考例句:
  • A good executive usually gets on well with people.一个好的高级管理人员通常与人们相处得很好。
  • He is a man of great executive ability.他是个具有极高管理能力的人。
7 invaluable s4qxe     
adj.无价的,非常宝贵的,极为贵重的
参考例句:
  • A computer would have been invaluable for this job.一台计算机对这个工作的作用会是无法估计的。
  • This information was invaluable to him.这个消息对他来说是非常宝贵的。

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