Watch SpinLaunch's Giant Slingshot Fling A NASA Payload Into The Sky
by Tom Hale
October 5, 2022
Introduction:
Read more here: https://www.iflscience.com/watch-spinl ... sky-65614(IFL Science) US-based startup SpinLaunch has teamed up with NASA and a number of other partners to see whether slingshotting objects into the sky could be a viable alternative to chemical-powered rocket launches.
Last week, SpinLaunch completed its tenth successful fling using their Suborbital Accelerator in the New Mexico desert. Their latest launch – which you (can) check out below – saw the start-up fling a number of payloads owned by NASA, Airbus, Cornell University, and satellite delivery company Outpost.
Their chief aim was to see whether the sensitive scientific equipment onboard could survive the intense G-force of the Suborbital Accelerator.
This system essentially spins the object at approximately 8,046 kilometers (5,000 miles) per hour in a vertical 12-meter (39-foot) tall centrifuge. Once the object is up to speed, it’s flung out of the accelerator's chimney and launched into the sky.
NASA’s payload featured a Data Acquisition Unit (DAQ) equipped with an array of sensors including two accelerometers, a gyroscope, a magnetometer, and sensors for pressure, temperature, and humidity. Upon landing, the DAQ was recovered and researchers will now sift through the data it gathered.
