By 
October 3rd, 2022
Putting a spin on rocket launch. Flight 10 photo.
Credit: SpinLaunch
SpinLaunch has announced the results of a tenth successful Flight Test of its Suborbital Accelerator from Spaceport America, New Mexico.
The flight test took place on September 27, 2022. Four partner payloads, as well as two instrumentation payloads, were flown on the Suborbital Accelerator Flight Test Vehicle. Payloads came from NASA, Airbus U.S., Cornell University and Outpost.
All payloads were flown and recovered successfully.
Attendees tour the Mass Accelerator.
Credit: SpinLaunch
The test vehicle captured launch and flight test data to help validate and commercialize SpinLaunch’s Suborbital and Orbital Launch Systems.
Flight Test 10 was the company’s tenth flight test in just under eleven months since the Suborbital Mass Accelerator came online in late 2021.
Pre-spin qualification process
As part of the pre-flight qualification process, SpinLaunch accelerated payloads up to 10,000 Gs in SpinLaunch’s 12-meter Lab Accelerator at its Long Beach headquarters. Payloads were inspected post-spin and subsequently integrated into the Flight Test Vehicle in preparation for Flight Test 10.
SPIN Lab Accelerator Team.
Credit: SpinLaunch
In a company statement, Jonathan Yaney, Founder & CEO of SpinLaunch said: “The data and insights collected from flight tests will be invaluable for both SpinLaunch, as we further the development of the Orbital Launch system, and for our customers who are looking to us to provide them with low-cost, high-cadence, sustainable access to space.”
Payload participants
NASA provided a Data Acquisition Unit (DAQ) to capture critical launch characteristics of SpinLaunch’s kinetic launch system. The sensor suite was equipped with two accelerometers in addition to a gyroscope, magnetometer, and sensors for pressure, temperature, and humidity.
Readying the Suborbital Accelerator Flight Test Vehicle.
Credit: SpinLaunch
The DAQ was used given SpinLaunch’s signed Space Act Agreement with NASA to develop, integrate and fly a NASA payload, providing the agency with the information necessary to determine the potential of future commercial launch opportunities with SpinLaunch.
For Flight Test 10, Airbus U.S. provided a satellite sun sensor, which is typically used for spacecraft attitude control and positioning purposes.
Cornell Engineering’s Space Systems Design Studio (SSDS) has developed and launched small, inexpensive satellites called ChipSats to provide distributed in-situ measurements of the upper atmosphere of multiple planets, including Earth. Flight Test 10 exercised the operation of a SpinLaunch designed payload deployment system, which released multiple ChipSats from the Flight Test Vehicle.
Outpost, a company developing reusable satellites for high-precision Earth return, provided SpinLaunch with an onboard computer for testing and qualification in the SpinLaunch launch environment.
Payload rendering.
Credit: SpinLaunch
On target
SpinLaunch was founded by Jonathan Yaney, in 2014. The company is building a ground-based, kinetic launch system that delivers a substantially less expensive and environmentally sustainable system to place constellations of small satellites into Low Earth Orbit (LEO), according to the company.
SpinLaunch is based in Long Beach, California, and has built its Suborbital Mass Accelerator at Spaceport America in New Mexico.
The company adds that it is on target to place satellites into orbit and deliver payloads for spacefaring endeavors by 2026.
SpinLaunch announced last month that the company had closed a $71 million Series B funding round.
“The funds will be used to continue the development and commercialization of the world’s first kinetic launch system and satellite product line, designed to provide low-cost, high-cadence, environmentally responsible space access,” the company said in a statement.
For more information on SpinLaunch, go to:
Posted in Space News
