I’m guessing that membrane the rocket bursts through is there to maintain the vacuum chamber integrity, and is not just for dramatic effect?
The proposed launch vehicle does have a pleasingly old-school aesthetic about it, looking like a carbon-fiber Buck Rogers kind of deal:
The company claims that adapting satellites and other space hardware for the high-G spinning process is no big deal:
This engineering process has been used to develop high-g reaction wheels for 20kg and 200kg-class satellites, deployable solar arrays and electric propulsion modules. Even unmodified smartphones, action cameras, and telescope lenses have survived without damage. In comparison to mechanical systems, electronics are surprisingly simple to ruggedize for kinetic launch. Because of the relatively low mass of resistors, capacitors, and electronic chips, many existing designs can be flown without any substantial modifications.
I suspect that this method wouldn’t be suitable for crewed launches, though.
The company has already raised about $35 million, and they have a Department of Defense launch contract, so maybe we’ll be seeing more things yeeted into earth orbit in this massive mechanical discus style.
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