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.
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