The American company wants to set a record for launching 250 satellites at the same time

Meridian Space will consist of small "microsatellites" that can be launched into low Earth orbit, Space reported on April 4. SpinLaunch has now received $12 million in funding from Kongsberg Defense & Aerospace to support the development and commercialization of this satellite system. The first test launch into orbit is expected to take place in 2026.

Meridian Space will provide "significantly higher broadband throughput in the satellite system than what is currently available on the market," according to Eirik Lie, president of Kongsberg Defense & Aerospace. David Wrenn, CEO of SpinLaunch, added that NanoAvionics' modular small satellite platforms provide a reliable basis for rapidly scaling satellite systems.

SpinLaunch also shared images of a batch of Meridian Space satellites placed on a launch vehicle. These flat satellites appear to be stacked on top of each other, showing how the company plans to place 250 on a single rocket.

If SpinLaunch successfully launches 250 satellites at the same time, they will set a new record for the number of satellites launched in a single flight. The current record is 143 set by SpaceX during the 2021 Transporter-1 mission.

It is unclear whether SpinLaunch will launch its own test satellite in 2026 using its giant centrifuge or use another rocket. The company is developing a 33-meter rotating arm that will accelerate rockets to extremely high speeds inside a centrifuge before "throwing" them into the sky. When they reach a certain height, the rockets will fire their engines. This launch method significantly reduces the amount of fuel and hardware needed to reach orbit.

In 2022, NASA signed an agreement with SpinLaunch for a technology demonstration in which experimental suites from the agency, Airbus and Cornell University were launched into suborbital space using a centrifuge.

Thu Thao (According to Space)