Pancake-Shaped Microsatellites Set to Launch into Space via Spinning Cannon

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A Californian startup intends to deploy a novel broadband satellite network named Meridian Space. This system will comprise numerous miniature “microsatellites” that will be launched into low Earth orbit using rockets ejected from an enormous rotating cannon. These satellites have been designed in a flat shape, similar to pancakes.

The initial group of spacecraft might be launched into orbit as early as next year. The initiative, led by the private firm SpinLaunch, has secured $12 million in financing from Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace (KDA). This investment aims at establishing their dedicated satellite network, slated for deployment by 2026.

KDA's NanoAvionics can help them build the constellation quickly and carefully. They claim that Meridian Space could be more cost-effective than SpaceX's Starlink network.

Each satellite will be 7.5 feet wide and weigh around 154 pounds, making them a lot lighter than most other communications satellites.

They will be shaped like a flat disk and placed on top of each other like a stack of pancakes. Currently, Starlink's V2 satellites weigh approximately 1,760 pounds each.

If the Meridian Space satellites are successfully delivered into low-Earth orbit next year, it would set a new record for the most spacecraft launched at once. Right now, the record is held by SpaceX's Transporter-1 mission, which launched 143 satellites in 2021.

Earlier, SpinLaunch had conducted 10 rocket launches utilizing its Suborbital Accelerator in New Mexico. The facility features a vacuum chamber with a diameter of approximately 108 feet and can spin items up to speeds of around 5,000 miles per hour.

The company's latest release occurred in September 2022, marking the initial delivery of several payloads into suborbital space.

The acceleration phase lasted for as long as 30 minutes during these trial launches. The rockets encountered forces of up to 10,000 Gs prior to being launched into the higher layers of the atmosphere.

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The upcoming year's mission will probably proceed with similar methods. This type of launch system is considerably more cost-effective compared to using chemical rockets.

SpinLaunch forecasts that their upcoming commercial launches will be priced at $1,250 to $2,500 for each kilogram sent to space. This rate is under half the expense of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rockets, which currently charge around $6,000 per kilogram.

The rockets also don't release any greenhouse gases during launch, so they are better for the environment than chemical rockets.

Moreover, these systems eliminate the need for boosters that would otherwise be discarded in space. This reduction leads to fewer objects cluttering low-Earth orbit and decreases the likelihood of debris returning to Earth’s surface.

After completing the deployment of the Meridian Space constellation, SpinLaunch intends to develop a more substantial Orbital Accelerator device capable of propelling cargo straight into low-Earth orbit without relying on conventional rocket propulsion.

Should this occur, as many as five commercial payloads might ultimately be sent into space each day.

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