Hardware Podcasts

45. Spinning Payloads Into Space

The Next Byte Podcast · 23 Nov 2021 · 31m

What this episode covers

Hosts Daniel and Farbode discuss two non-rocket launch technologies: SpinLaunch, which uses a giant vacuum-sealed centrifuge to fling satellites into orbit, and StarTram, a maglev-based system designed to accelerate payloads to hypersonic speeds. They analyze the engineering challenges of each, including the thermal and G-force stresses on payloads, the mechanics of plasma windows for StarTram, and the operational speed of SpinLaunch's vacuum resealing. The conversation highlights the potential for these technologies to drastically reduce the cost of access to low Earth orbit compared to traditional rocketry.

Most relevant to

early-stage companies

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
SpinLaunch, StarTram, SpaceX, Mouser Electronics, MIT, NASA, Virgin Galactic, The Boring Company
Products
Falcon Heavy, Saturn 5, Apollo 11, Voyager, GPS, DART, Hyperloop

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