SpinLaunch, founded in 2014, is a spaceflight technology development company pioneering a kinetic energy launch system. Rather than using traditional chemical rockets, SpinLaunch is developing a mass accelerator technology with the aim of significantly lowering the cost and increasing the frequency of launching small satellites into Low Earth Orbit (LEO). The company is building a ground-based, electric-powered centrifuge accelerator to propel payloads into orbit and has partnered with organizations like NASA, Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace, Sumitomo Corporation, and The Aleut Corporation. SpinLaunch is also developing its own satellite constellation called Meridian Space.
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SpinLaunch has raised $150,000,000 to date to fund development of its centrifuge-based launch system.
SpinLaunch is developing satellites optimized for its launch system, including a 12U cubesat bus and a 200-kilogram satellite equal to the orbital system's payload capacity.
SpinLaunch projects beginning orbital launches with a 100-meter accelerator as soon as 2026 and has not announced the accelerator's location.
SpinLaunch plans an intermediate service around 2024 that will use some of its satellite and launch technology.
SpinLaunch designed its orbital system for up to 10 launches per day and up to 2,000 launches per year.
SpinLaunch launched its first vehicle in October 2021 and has conducted nine tests to date.
SpinLaunch built a 33-meter-diameter suborbital centrifuge at Spaceport America in New Mexico for testing.
SpinLaunch will manifest and fly the first NASA payload on a developmental test flight later 2022 on its A-33 Suborbital Mass Accelerator and provide means for post-flight recovery of the payload back to NASA.
SpinLaunch is based at a 140,000-square-foot headquarters in Long Beach, California and has offices in Washington, D.C., and New Mexico.
SpinLaunch’s Orbital Accelerator will accelerate a launch vehicle containing a satellite up to 5,0 m per hour using a rotating carbon-fiber arm within a 300-foot-diameter steel vacuum chamber.
SpinLaunch is developing satellite buses and qualified subsystems designed to be compatible with any launch system.
SpinLaunch is on target to place satellites into orbit and deliver payloads for spacefaring endeavors by 2025.
NASA’s Flight Opportunities Program, which includes the Space Act Agreement with SpinLaunch, is funded by NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate at the agency’s Headquarters in Washington, D.C.
SpinLaunch operates a suborbital accelerator at Spaceport America.
SpinLaunch built a 33-meter suborbital accelerator at Spaceport America.
The State of New Mexico offered SpinLaunch $4,000,000 in economic development grants to be received as the company meets expansion milestones.
Michael Vergalla is a veteran of Moon Express, SpinLaunch, and Airbus A3, and is the founder of Free Flight Research Lab.
SpinLaunch is developing rocket engines that will serve as upper stages to place payloads weighing up to 200 kg into orbit.
SpinLaunch built a subscale accelerator 33 m in diameter at Spaceport America.
SpinLaunch broke ground in May 2019 on a test site at Spaceport America and pledged to spend $7,000,000 and create 20 jobs there.