Ditch rockets and hurl cargo to space

摘要

A START-UP called SpinLaunch in California wants to catapult cargo into space, avoiding the need for heavy and expensive rocket fuel. The concept relies on a centrifuge to spin a payload to high speeds. giving it enough momentum to penetrate the atmosphere. But whirling a payload around fast enough to reach space would also subject it to g-forces that could damage electronics and rip apart anything remotely fragile. And exiting Earth's atmosphere without burning up would require lots of heat shielding.