3 ms·
Building and SpinLaunching at above 10k feet (3km) seems like a no-brainer. It reduces heating and weight while increasing terminal altitude substantially... li
by kurthr 5y ago
Building and SpinLaunching at above 10k feet (3km) seems like a no-brainer. It reduces heating and weight while increasing terminal altitude substantially... like 2x.
It would be more efficient, if they could use a whip effect to (match impedance) capture much more of the rotational energy they put into the spin, more like a trebuchet.
- Schroedingersat 5y agoIs there any material strong enough to provide the whip? Or would you just make the spinning part slower?
- sacrosancty 5y agoIs optimizing efficiency relevant at all? I'd think the electrical power cost must be negligible compared to the rest of the cost of a launch.
- edrxty 5y agoIt's not the electrical cost so much as system complexity. They could use less heat shield, more payload, spin the payload less hard, etc.