Can We Throw Satellites to Space? - SpinLaunch

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Published 2022-08-06
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Credits:
Writer/Narrator: Brian McManus
Editor: Dylan Hennessy
Animator: Mike Ridolfi
Animator: Eli Prenten
Modelling: Sam Carter
Sound: Graham Haerther
Henry Ariza - Camera Operator and Color
Jamon Tolbert - Camera Operator
Gina Giorgi - Production Coordinator
Donovan Bullen - Music
Thumbnail: Simon Buckmaster

Select imagery/video supplied by Getty Images
Thank you to AP Archive for access to their archival footage.

Music by Epidemic Sound: epidemicsound.com/creator


Thank you to my patreon supporters: Adam Flohr, Henning Basma, Hank Green, William Leu, Tristan Edwards, Ian Dundore, John & Becki Johnston. Nevin Spoljaric, Jason Clark, Thomas Barth, Johnny MacDonald, Stephen Foland, Alfred Holzheu, Abdulrahman Abdulaziz Binghaith, Brent Higgins, Dexter Appleberry, Alex Pavek, Marko Hirsch, Mikkel Johansen, Hibiyi Mori. Viktor Józsa, Ron Hochsprung

All Comments (21)
  • This has been in the works for about 3 months now. Our first full documentary shoot. There is a lot of negativity in the comments from people who have not even watched the video yet. This channel is about being positive about engineering. Encouraging and inspiring the next generation of engineers. If you are looking for a channel that focuses on being negative and adds nothing to world, you have come to the wrong place. It's so much easier to point out what's hard, than using your brain to think of solutions. That's not what engineers do. We find problems, and then we find solutions. If you don't think a company that's trying to throw satellites into space, and has already built a 1/3rd prototype, isn't insanely cool. I don't know what to do for ye. That's badass. Whether they succeed or not is irrelevant. It's not your investment money they are using, chill out.
  • @cetomedo
    I find it quite funny that the only piece of technology that was important enough to keep as a trade secret was how to close doors really, really fast.
  • “It’s a door closing, I don’t know what to ask” “It’s really important not til let air back in“ I love engineering XD
  • @jamestheredd
    The term "yeet" at 5:35 is both a very accurate and a much appreciated addition to this presentation.
  • @ocscmike
    Oh wow. I love this new format! Great to see you on camera. The quality of this documentary reminds me of the Discovery channel when I was a kid... way back before it got overtaken by reality shows.
  • You never disappoint me. This was a glorious video! Thank you.
  • @AlchemistCH
    I think I see why the release mechanism was kept a secret. It's another ultra-fine timed system. You can't just release the capsule from a centrifuge and expect it fly like a bullet. It will be tossed in a straight line, yes, but it still will be spinning at the same angular velocity! So it has to be two locks (may be more, but that gets even more complicated), releasing the front one first and letting the rear one impart the angular momentum to stop the bullet from spinning and then releasing it just in time.
  • @tristanwegner
    the lower graph at 32:14 has to be wrong. In 10seconds it claims it reaches a height of 160km, which means an average speed of 16.000m/s. Which is about mach46, way higher than the plan to use.
  • @viski2528
    I love that a engineer with a degree used "yeet" as a technical term
  • I would love to see something like this built on the moon for launching unmanned missions further into space.
  • @thecasualfly
    This was very interesting and well put together, but one thing I will say that I feel like I have not done anything with my life.. seeing these younger generation doing mind-blowing projects.. it's amazing! KEEP IT UP!
  • @blackdog6969
    A trebuchet in the shape of a turbocharger, yeeting missiles into space? I love it
  • This launch system will really find use when launching from airless moons.
  • @Qualle80
    5:35 "SpinLaunch aims to YEET its aeroshell..." It's so simple, yet so incredibly funny.
  • @XPLAlN
    According to this year old video “Spinlaunch have only just begun with the 1/3rd scale tests”. Why then, did these tests stop abruptly a year ago? It is safe to assume the project hit the rocks big style.
  • Has anyone noticed that the projectile will be rotating about its center. It is rotating as it is attached and stays rotating after it leaves. This effect would explain the change in angle as it exits the membrane. The projectile continues this rotation as it rises. To eliminate this rotation they will need to counter-rotate the projectile on the centrifuge and somehow coordinate the launch with both position and orientation.
  • Has anyone ever thought about that such a system wouldn't need to launch complex systems (satellites etc) to be viable, but just mere materials? Ideally homogenous blocks of it. Like building materials for space stations. Or supplies. 200 kg of aluminium plates or such. 200 kg of food. 200 kg of plain water. 200 kg of fuel. Trivial things that are INCREDIBLY expensive to bring into space via rocket but are perfectly suited for a spin launch system. Perfectly located center of mass. No vibrations.
  • I'm nowhere near an engineer. But, just curious, rather than releasing an equal mass counterweight for balance that requires clean-up (and I assume dirties up the vacuum), could the counterweight be a magnetic load that simply gets turned off at the time of release?
  • @ghrrum
    This was beautifully done, good job and thanks!