California company develops massive catapult to launch satellites into space using ‘10,000 times the force of Earth’s gravity’

SpinLaunch, a California company, is developing a large rotating arm that uses kinetic energy to fling 440-pound satellites into low orbit, with successful tests already in the books. Importantly, the process doesn’t need rocket fuel to work. It’s all powered by electricity. 

“This is not a rocket, and clearly our ability to perform in just 11 months this many tests and have them all function as planned, really is a testament to the nature of our technology,” founder and CEO Jonathan Yaney said in a Space.com report from 2022, shortly after a 10th successful launch. The goal is to shoot constellations of satellites skyward — under 600 miles up — by 2026, per the report.