The SpinLaunch Suborbital Accelerator recently completed its eighth flight test, where the company’s engineering launched their first optical camera payload aboard a 3-meter flight test vehicle. It was launched into the atmosphere at more than a thousand miles per hour, and the digital camera system will help SpinLaunch integrate complex payloads into future flight test vehicles.
When the full-sized Orbital Accelerator is complete, it will spin up to 5,000mph prior to releasing the launch vehicle. For comparison, the 1/3 scale Suborbital Accelerator they are currently using has conducted tests at six times the speed of sound (4,603mph). For those wondering, the launch does create a sonic boom, but no more than a traditional rocket lifting off. It won’t be long until SpinLaunch will send lunar probes to the Moon, like China’s Chang’e-5.
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Comprised of the key components needed for the Orbital Launch System, the Suborbital Accelerator is a critical steppingstone in SpinLaunch’s path to orbit and providing customers with low-cost, sustainable access to space,” said the company.