Crew Operations Aboard Space Station Return to Normal

 

ISS - Expedition 66 Mission patch.

Nov. 18, 2021

NASA and U.S. Space Command continue to monitor the debris cloud created by a recent Russian anti-satellite test. The International Space Station and crew members are safe and have resumed normal operations. The largest risk from the debris was in the first 24 hours and telemetry from the space station indicates no issues during that time. About 1:20 a.m. EST today, radial hatches extending from the space station’s center, including Kibo, Columbus, the Permanent Multipurpose Module, Bigelow Expandable Activity Module, and Quest Joint Airlock, were reopened.

Image above: From left are, Expedition 66 crew members Pyotr Dubrov of Roscosmos; Thomas Marshburn of NASA; Anton Shkaplerov of Roscosmos; Raja Chari, Mark Vande Hei and Kayla Barron, all from NASA; and Matthias Maurer from ESA (European Space Agency). Image Credit: NASA.

Following the incident, crew members were awoken, notified of the debris and asked to close specific hatches based on the space station’s safe haven procedures. Hatches between the U.S. and Russian segments also were closed initially, but were later opened when the higher risk period passed. Crew members’ daily tasks were adjusted during this time to accommodate the hatch closure. After closing the hatches, the crew then entered their Soyuz and Crew Dragon spacecraft for approximately two hours, from 2 a.m. – 4 a.m. EST. No debris avoidance maneuver was performed.

Space debris is tracked by Space Command and conjunction analysis is performed by NASA, with mitigations available for debris clouds and individual conjunction threats (such as debris avoidance maneuvers). If orbital debris were to strike the station and cause an air leak, the crew would close hatches to the affected module. If crew members do not have time to close the affected module, they would enter their respective spacecraft and, if necessary, undock from the space station to return to Earth.

International Space Station (ISS). Animation Credit: ESA

This debris cloud that was just created has increased the risk to the station. The cataloging of the total number of identifiable pieces of debris is ongoing. Once the debris cloud is dispersed and items are tracked and catalogued, NASA will receive notifications of potential conjunction threats to the station and perform maneuvers as necessary. In addition, NASA will continue to perform visual inspections and review telemetry data to ensure vehicle health.

Teams are assessing the risk levels to conduct various mission activities. Any changes to launches, spacewalks, and other events will be updated as needed.

Related articles:

Moscow recognizes satellite shot test but brushes aside US criticism
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2021/11/moscow-recognizes-satellite-shot-test.html

NASA Administrator Statement on Russian ASAT Test
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2021/11/nasa-administrator-statement-on-russian.html

Related links:

Expedition 66: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition66/index.html

International Space Station (ISS): https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html

Image (mentioned), Animation (mentioned), Text, Credits: NASA/Mark Garcia.

Best regards, Orbiter.ch

When debris disaster strikes

 

ESA - Clean Space logo.

Nov. 18, 2021

In brief

In 2021 so far, some 2467 new objects large enough to be tracked have been added to world catalogues of orbital objects, out of which 1493 are new satellites and the rest are debris. While new objects are added, others are dragged down to Earth by the atmosphere where they safely burn up, resulting in a net increase of at least 1387 trackable objects between 2020 and 2021.

Collision Warning

In addition, an estimated 1500 new objects – an increase of about 5% with respect to the total population – were added just this week, meaning the risk to missions must be reassessed.

In-depth

Every now and then, an event occurs in Earth orbit that generates large quantities of new space debris. Accidental explosions caused by leftover fuel onboard satellites and rockets have created the greatest number of debris objects, but second in line are deliberate breakup events.

Some 36 000 objects larger than a tennis ball are orbiting Earth, and only 13% of these are actively controlled. The rest comprise space debris, the direct result of 'fragmentation events' of which roughly 630 are known to have occurred to date.

Learning lessons from the past on space debris (Click on the image for enlarge)

Based on observations of larger objects together with statistical models (for those objects too small to be observed with telescopes on Earth), ESA estimates there are in orbit today:

- 36 500 objects greater than 10 cm in size

- 1 000 000 objects from 1 cm to 10 cm

- 330 million objects from 1 mm to 1 cm

After each new fragmentation event, ESA’s Space Debris Office begins its analysis. What happened? How will this shape the debris environment, now and in the future? What has been the change in collision risk to active satellites and spacecraft in orbit? Which altitudes and orbits are the most affected?

New objects tracked

Evolution of debris in orbit through to October 2021

In 2021 so far, some 2467 new objects large enough to be tracked have been added to world catalogues of orbital objects, out of which 1493 are new satellites and the rest are debris. While new objects are added, others are dragged down to Earth by the atmosphere where they safely burn up, resulting in a net increase of at least 1387 trackable objects between 2020 and 2021.

In addition, an estimated 1500 new objects – an increase of about 5% with respect to the total population – were added just this week.

Because debris objects travel at high velocities, a collision with a fragment as small as just 1 cm in diameter can generate the same amount of destructive energy as a small car crashing at 40 km/h.

While the smallest, sub-millimetre-sized debris particles may only degrade the functioning of a satellite upon impact, ‘larger’ pieces – in the centimetre range – can cause complete destruction.

Satellites and debris take a long time to return (Click on the image for enlarge)

Earth’s atmosphere can cause orbital objects to re-enter over time and burn up. The higher the orbital altitude, the thinner the atmosphere, and so the longer objects will naturally stay in space. In altitudes above 600 km, the natural ‘residence time’ in space for such objects is typically more than 25 years.

ESA’s Earth Observation missions, which orbit in this region, have each had to perform two ‘collision avoidance manoeuvres’ on average per year, to dodge oncoming debris.

Reassessing risk

Millions of fragments of fast-moving and dangerous space debris surround Earth

After fragmentation events, such as one that happened this week, the risk to missions must be reassessed.

"This major fragmentation event will not only more than double the long-term collision avoidance needs for missions in orbits with similar altitudes, but will furthermore significantly increase the probability of potentially mission-terminating collisions at lower altitudes," says Holger Krag, Head of ESA’s Space Safety Programme.

International cooperation

Space debris are constantly monitored by the US space surveillance network, and ESA’s space debris experts use this and other monitoring data to improve and update models to better understand the evolving debris environment.

By performing daily collision risk analyses and creating models that predict the future position and density of debris objects at various altitudes, the team can advise satellite operators on how best to keep their missions safe.

Keeping space highways safe

The United Nations has set out guidelines to reduce the growing amount of space debris in orbit. Experts from ESA’s Space Debris Office have contributed to these guidelines and routinely advise on how to implement them for ESA missions.

Furthermore, as part of the Agency’s space safety and security activities, ESA is working to keep Earth’s commercially and scientifically vital orbital environment as debris-free as possible and to pioneer an eco-friendly approach to space activities.

Process of capture

ESA is the first space agency to adopt the ambitious target of inverting Europe’s contribution to space debris by 2030, directly tackling the issue of space debris by advancing the technology needed to maintain a clean space environment. ESA has initiated the first active debris-removal mission to be launched in 2025 to demonstrate the ability to remove debris from an orbit at 700 km.

But as the ‘New Space’ era beckons, and large constellations comprising thousands of satellites start to be launched, much more needs to be done to ensure Earth’s space environment is used sustainably for future generations.

ESA accelerates the protection of our space investment

The current situation calls for new technology that will allow regulators to consider a systematic implementation of zero-debris policies. A new European commercial capability needs to be forged to provide innovative in-orbit services, such as refueling, refurbishing and extending the life of existing missions. This will lead to a ‘circular economy’ in space.

Protection of space assets

To ensure safe access to space, high-precision position information on all orbital objects must become available, and automated coordination between spacecraft operators must be implemented. Novel technology will be required for these ambitious steps, which are proposed as part of the new ‘Protect’ Accelerator, one of three currently being defined to help shape Europe’s future in space.

Space technology, and the multitude of applications that flow from it, is vital to Europe’s economy. Ensuring the safety of our space infrastructure and investments, and therefore Europe’s non-dependent use of space, is vital for safeguarding businesses, economies and ultimately our way of life.

Related articles:

Moscow recognizes satellite shot test but brushes aside US criticism
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2021/11/moscow-recognizes-satellite-shot-test.html

NASA Administrator Statement on Russian ASAT Test
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2021/11/nasa-administrator-statement-on-russian.html

Related links:

Space Debris: https://www.esa.int/Safety_Security/Space_Debris

ESA’s Space Safety Programme: https://www.esa.int/Safety_Security

United Nations: https://www.un.org/en/

First active debris-removal mission: https://www.esa.int/Safety_Security/ESA_purchases_world-first_debris_removal_mission_from_start-up

Images, Animation, Text, Credits: ESA/ClearSpace SA.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch

ALICE takes the next step in understanding the interaction among hadrons

 

CERN - ALICE Experiment logo.

Nov. 18, 2021

The ALICE collaboration has observed for the first time the residual strong interaction between protons and phi mesons

Image above: An artistic representation of the interaction between a proton (with two up and a down quark) and a ɸ meson (with strange-antistrange quarks) as they emerge with an interdistance of the order of a femtometre from a proton-proton collision at the LHC. (Image: ALICE collaboration).

In a recently published article in Physical Review Letters, the ALICE collaboration has used a method called femtoscopy to study the residual interaction between two-quark and three-quark particles. Through this measurement, an interaction between the ɸ (phi) meson (strange-antistrange quarks) and a proton (two up and one down quarks) was unveiled for the first time.

Since the ɸ meson is not electrically charged, an interaction between the proton and the ɸ cannot be of electromagnetic origin and can only be attributed to the residual strong interaction. The strong interaction is what holds together quarks inside hadrons (like the proton and the ɸ meson), while the residual strong interaction is the force that acts between hadrons. This is the interaction that holds protons and neutrons together in the form of atomic nuclei.

But unlike the residual strong interaction between protons and neutrons, that can be studied in stable bound states like the nuclei, the interaction between unstable hadrons produced in particle collisions is very difficult to observe. It was found to be possible in the LHC using an approach called femtoscopy. Hadrons in the LHC collisions are produced very close to each other, at distances of about 10-15 m (femtometre, hence the name femtoscopy). This scale matches the range of the residual strong force, giving them a brief chance to interact before flying away. As a result, pairs of hadrons that experience an attractive interaction will move slightly closer to each other, while for a repulsive interaction, the contrary occurs. Both effects can be clearly observed through detailed analysis of the measured relative velocities of the particles.

The knowledge of the p-ɸ (proton-ɸ meson) interaction is of twofold interest in nuclear physics. First, this interaction is an anchor point for searches of the partial restoration of chiral symmetry. The left- and right-handed (chiral) symmetry that characterizes the strong interaction is found to be broken in Nature and this effect is responsible for the much larger mass of hadrons, like the proton and neutron, with respect to the masses of the quarks that constitute them. Hence, chiral symmetry is connected to the origin of mass itself! A possible way to search for restoration of chiral symmetry and shed light on the mechanism that generates mass is by studying modifications of the properties of ɸ mesons within dense nuclear matter formed in collisions at the LHC. However, for this purpose, it is essential that the simple two body p-ɸ interaction in vacuum is understood first.

Large Hadron Collider (LHC)

The second point of interest is that, due to its strange-antistrange quark content, the ɸ meson is regarded as a possible vehicle of the interaction among baryons (hadrons consisting of three quarks) that contain one or more strange quarks, called hyperons (Y). Depending on the strength of this interaction, hyperons may form the core of neutron stars, among the densest and least understood astrophysical objects. Direct measurement of the Y-ɸ interaction strength although feasible has not yet been carried out, but already today this quantity can be related to the p-ɸ findings via fundamental symmetries. Therefore, measuring p-ɸ  interaction provides indirect access to the Y-Y interaction in neutron stars.

The moderate interaction strength measured by ALICE provides a quantitative reference for further studies of the ɸ properties within the nuclear medium and also translates into a negligible interaction among hyperons in neutron stars. More accurate measurements will follow during the upcoming LHC Run 3 and Run 4 allowing to significantly improve the precision of the extracted parameters and also to pin down the Y-ɸ interaction directly.

Note:

CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, is one of the world’s largest and most respected centres for scientific research. Its business is fundamental physics, finding out what the Universe is made of and how it works. At CERN, the world’s largest and most complex scientific instruments are used to study the basic constituents of matter — the fundamental particles. By studying what happens when these particles collide, physicists learn about the laws of Nature.

The instruments used at CERN are particle accelerators and detectors. Accelerators boost beams of particles to high energies before they are made to collide with each other or with stationary targets. Detectors observe and record the results of these collisions.

Founded in 1954, the CERN Laboratory sits astride the Franco–Swiss border near Geneva. It was one of Europe’s first joint ventures and now has 23 Member States.

Related links:

Physical Review Letters: https://journals.aps.org/prl/pdf/10.1103/PhysRevLett.127.172301

ALICE: https://home.cern/science/experiments/alice

Large Hadron Collider (LHC): https://home.cern/science/accelerators/large-hadron-collider

For more information about European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), Visit: https://home.cern/

Image (mentioned), Animation, Text, Credits: CERN/By ALICE collaboration.

Best regards, Orbiter.ch

Rocket Lab - Electron launches “Love At First Insight”

 

Rocket Lab - Electron / “Love At First Insight” patch.

Nov. 17, 2021

Electron liftoff

Rocket Lab’s Electron launch vehicle launched the “Love At First Insight” mission, two BlackSky small satellites, from Launch Complex 1 on Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand, on 18 November 2021, at 01:38 UTC (14:38 NZT). The mission is Rocket Lab’s 22nd Electron launch overall.

Electron launches “Love At First Insight”

Rocket Lab: https://www.rocketlabusa.com/

Image, Video, Text, Credits: Illustration, photos and video footage courtesy of Rocket Lab/SciNews/Orbiter.ch Aerospace/Roland Berga.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch

Hubble Spies Newly Forming Star Incubating in IC 2631

 

NASA - Hubble Space Telescope patch.

Nov 17, 2021

Image Credits: NASA, ESA, T. Megeath (University of Toledo), and K. Stapelfeldt (Jet Propulsion Laboratory); Processing: Gladys Kober (NASA/Catholic University of America).

Stars are born from clouds of gas and dust that collapse under their own gravitational attraction. As the cloud collapses, a dense, hot core forms and begins gathering dust and gas, creating an object called a “protostar.”

This Hubble infrared image captures a protostar designated J1672835.29-763111.64 in the reflection nebula IC 2631, part of the Chamaeleon star-forming region in the southern constellation Chamaeleon. Protostars shine with the heat energy released by clouds contracting around them and the accumulation of material from the nearby gas and dust. Eventually enough material collects, and the core of a protostar becomes hot and dense enough for nuclear fusion to begin, and the transformation into a star is complete. The leftover gas and dust can become planets, asteroids, comets, or remain as dust.

Image above: Hubble's sharp eye captures a protostar designated J1672835.29-763111.64 in the reflection nebula IC 2631. Image Credits: NASA, ESA, T. Megeath (University of Toledo), K. Stapelfeldt (Jet Propulsion Laboratory), and ESO; Processing: Gladys Kober (NASA/Catholic University of America).

This image is part of a Hubble survey targeting 312 protostars within molecular clouds previously identified with the Spitzer and Herschel infrared space observatories. Protostars are visible primarily in infrared light since they emit a lot of heat energy, and their visible light is obscured by the dust around them. Hubble’s advanced infrared capabilities could better resolve the protostars and examine their structure, including the accumulating gas and dust and faint companion objects.

Related link:

Hubble Space Telescope (HST): https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hubble/main/index.html

Images (mentioned), Text, Credits: NASA/Andrea Gianopoulos/GSFC/Claire Andreoli.

Best regards, Orbiter.ch

NASA Selects Intuitive Machines for New Lunar Science Delivery

 

NASA - ARTEMIS Program logo.

Nov 17, 2021

NASA has awarded Intuitive Machines of Houston a contract to deliver research, including science investigations and a technology demonstration, to the Moon in 2024. The commercial delivery is part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative and the Artemis program.

Image above: Illustration of Intuitive Machines Nova-C lander for the IM-3 mission taking four NASA investigations to Reiner Gamma. Image Credits: Intuitive Machines.

The investigations aboard Intuitive Machines’ Nova-C lander are destined for Reiner Gamma, one of the most distinctive and enigmatic natural features on the Moon. Known as a lunar swirl, Reiner Gamma is on the western edge of the Moon, as seen from Earth, and is one of the most visible lunar swirls. Scientists continue to learn what lunar swirls are, how they form, and their relationship to the Moon’s magnetic field.

“This delivery to the Moon will help the U.S. expand our capabilities and learn more about this interesting region,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. “Observing lunar swirls can give us information about the Moon’s radiation environment and perhaps how to mitigate its effects. With more and more science and technology demonstrations on the lunar surface, we can help prepare for sustainable astronaut missions through Artemis.”

Intuitive Machines will receive $77.5 million for the contract and is responsible for end-to-end delivery services, including payload integration, delivery from Earth to the surface of the Moon, and payload operations. This is Intuitive Machines’ third task order award, the first of which is a delivery to Oceanus Procellarum on the Moon during the first quarter of 2022. This award is the seventh surface delivery task award issued to a CLPS partner.

“These investigations show how CLPS is capable of delivering payloads to the lunar surface that will address our primary scientific goals for lunar exploration and discovery,” said Chris Culbert, manager of the CLPS initiative at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. “We aim to learn more about lunar swirls and this payload manifest is designed to obtain data unique to the geographical feature of Reiner Gamma.”

The four investigations Intuitive Machines will deliver to Reiner Gamma are collectively expected to be about 203 pounds (92 kg) in mass and include:

- Lunar Vertex is among NASA’s Payloads and Research Investigations on the Surface of the Moon (PRISM) selections. It is a combination of stationary lander payloads and a rover that will make detailed measurements of the magnetic field, plasma environment and regolith properties. The lander and rover data will augment observations collected in orbit. Combined, the observations will help show how these mysterious lunar swirls form and evolve – and how they connect to local magnetic fields in the same regions. Lunar Vertex is funded through the agency’s Science Mission Directorate and is led by the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland.
https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasa-selects-new-science-investigations-for-future-moon-deliveries

- Cooperative Autonomous Distributed Robotic Exploration (CADRE) consists of mobile robots programmed to work as an autonomous team to explore the lunar surface, collect data, and map different areas of the Moon in 3D. CADRE uses its inertial measurement unit, stereo cameras, and a Sun sensor to track the position of each robot as they explore the lunar surface. CADRE is funded by NASA’s Game Changing Development program under the agency’s Space Technology Mission Directorate and is led by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.
https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/spacetech/game_changing_development/projects/CADRE

- MoonLIGHT retroreflector is a laser retroreflector, which reflects laser beams sent from Earth directly back from the Moon to receivers on Earth. This allows very precise measurement of the distances between the reflector and the ground station. This technique can be used to investigate relativity, the gravitational dynamics of the Earth-Moon system and the deep lunar interior. MoonLIGHT is managed by the European Space Agency (ESA).
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0032063312002814

- Lunar Space Environment Monitor (LUSEM) uses a pair of apertures to detect high-energy particles on the lunar surface. LUSEM will monitor variations in the near-surface space environment when the Moon is inside and outside Earth’s magnetotail – the trailing end of the magnetic fields surrounding our planet, which can serve as a buffer for incoming radiation. LUSEM is managed by the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI) in South Korea.
https://planetary.kasi.re.kr/clps/

As NASA continues plans for multiple commercial deliveries to the Moon, future payloads that may be delivered with CLPS could also include other rovers, power sources, and science experiments, including technology demonstrations to later be infused into the Artemis program.

Learn more about CLPS at: https://www.nasa.gov/clps

Related articles:

NASA, Intuitive Machines Announce Landing Site Location for Lunar Drill
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2021/11/nasa-intuitive-machines-announce.html

NASA Selects First Commercial Moon Landing Services for Artemis Program
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2019/05/nasa-selects-first-commercial-moon.html

Related links:

Commercial Space: http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/commercial/index.html

Artemis: https://www.nasa.gov/artemisprogram

Image (mentioned), Text, Credits: NASA/Sean Potter/Karen Fox/Josh Handal/JSC/Nilufar Ramji.

Best regards, Orbiter.ch

Alternative rocket builder SpinLaunch completes first test flight

 

SpinLaunch logo.

Nov. 17, 2021

Key Points:

- SpinLaunch, which is building an alternative method of launching spacecraft to orbit, last month conducted its first test flight of a prototype in New Mexico.

- The company is developing a launch system that uses kinetic energy as its primary method to get off the ground – with a vacuum-sealed centrifuge spinning the rocket at several times the speed of sound before releasing.

SpinLaunch

SpinLaunch, a start-up that is building an alternative method of launching spacecraft to orbit, conducted last month a successful first test flight of a prototype in New Mexico.

The Long Beach, California-based company is developing a launch system that uses kinetic energy as its primary method to get off the ground – with a vacuum-sealed centrifuge spinning the rocket at several times the speed of sound before releasing.

“It’s a radically different way to accelerate projectiles and launch vehicles to hypersonic speeds using a ground-based system,” SpinLaunch CEO Jonathan Yaney told CNBC. “This is about building a company and a space launch system that is going to enter into the commercial markets with a very high cadence and launch at the lowest cost in the industry.”

Inside SpinLaunch. Image Credit: SpinLaunch

Founded in 2014 by Yaney, SpinLaunch’s successful test on Oct. 22 at Spaceport America in New Mexico marks a major milestone in the company’s progress. SpinLaunch has largely stayed quiet until now, which Yaney explained was due to the ambitions of the company.

“I find that the more audacious and crazy the project is, the better off you are just working on it – rather than being out there talking about it,” Yaney said. “We had to prove to ourselves that we could actually pull this off.”

SpinLaunch has raised $110 million to date, from investors including Kleiner Perkins, Google Ventures, Airbus Ventures, Catapult Ventures, Lauder Partners and McKinley Capital.

The first flight

Image above: The company’s suborbital accelerator at Spaceport America in New Mexico. Image Credit: SpinLaunch.

The SpinLaunch suborbital accelerator represents a one-third scale version, but – standing about 165 feet, “taller than the Statue of Liberty” – Yaney emphasized that it’s the size the company needs “to really prove the technology.”

The vacuum chamber holds a rotating arm, which Yaney said accelerates the projectile to high speed and then, “in less than a millisecond,” releases the vehicle for launch. The suborbital projectile is about 10 feet long, but “goes as fast as the orbital system needs, which is many thousands of miles an hour,” Yaney added.

“We can essentially validate our aerodynamic models for what our orbital launch vehicles are going to be like and it allows us to try out new technologies when it comes to release mechanisms,” Yaney said.

SpinLaunch’s first suborbital flight utilized about 20% of the accelerator’s full power capacity for the launch, and reached a test altitude “in the tens of thousands of feet,” according to Yaney.

While the first test flight vehicle did not have a rocket engine onboard, SpinLaunch plans to add that and other internal systems in later suborbital test flights. The company also plans to recover and reuse its vehicles, with Yaney noting the company recovered the first one “and it is absolutely flyable.”

The current SpinLaunch test schedule has the company conducting about 30 suborbital test flights over the next six to eight months from Spaceport America.

Moving toward orbital launch

Image above: A rendering shows a cutaway view of the company’s planned orbital launch vehicle, with its internal rocket engines and spacecraft payload. Image Credit: SpinLaunch.

SpinLaunch is finalizing the design of its full-scale system, with Yaney saying that testing to date has eliminated about 90% of the system’s risk.

Traditional rockets use a large booster, typically with a number of engines, to lift off the ground. That means that most of the rocket’s mass at liftoff is fuel, with only a small percentage of its total mass available to carry payloads. SpinLaunch’s approach aims to flip the “rocket equation” on its head, Yaney said, which would be “dramatic” in reducing the size of the rocket, as well as its complexity and cost.

The SpinLaunch design for its orbital vehicle would be able to carry about 200 kilograms of payload to orbit, equivalent to a few small satellites.

Image above: A rendering of an orbital launch vehicle loaded into the company’s accelerator. Image Credit: SpinLaunch.

The company is finalizing an agreement for the location of its first orbital launch system, with Yaney noting that it will not be at Spaceport America but rather at a “coastal location.”

“It’s a site that needs to be able to support dozens of launches per day,” Yaney said.

SpinLaunch declined to comment on its backlog of customer launch contracts, but the company signed a contract with the Pentagon’s Defense Innovation Unit in 2019 for its first experimental orbital launches.

Related link:

SpinLaunch: https://www.spinlaunch.com/

Images (mentioned), Video, Text, Credits: SpinLaunch/CNBC/Michael Sheetz.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch