--- title: "Hypersonic Space Catapult Startup Signs Military Contract" description: "SpinLaunch, a company that specializes in a space katapult launch system, just signed a contract with the U.S. Department of Defense's Innovation Unit (DIU)." date: "2019-06-28" modified: "2019-06-28" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/spinlaunch-space-catapult-startup-military" categories: - "Military" - "Off-World" - "Science & Energy" - "Space" tags: - "satellite launch systems" - "Spaceflight" - "spinlaunch" - "the digest" --- # Hypersonic Space Catapult Startup Signs Military Contract ![SpinLaunch, a company that specializes in a space katapult launch system, just signed a contract with the U.S. Department of Defense's Innovation Unit (DIU).]() *\Image: SpinLaunch/Victor Tangermann\* ## Space Sling California-based startup [SpinLaunch,]() which specializes in a launch system capable of catapulting small payloads into space at hypersonic speeds, just signed a contract with the U.S. Department of Defense's Innovation Unit (DIU). In the company's words, details about the technology itself are still very sparse, but the plan is to develop a "kinetic energy-based launch system that will provide the world’s lowest-cost orbital launch services for the rapidly growing small satellite industry," according to a [press release](). Futurism [first reported]() on the startup in February 2018. An electric centrifuge would rotate around a fixed point so quickly that it could accelerate small payloads such as satellites to speeds of [up to 5,000 mph]() — enough to break through Earth's atmosphere. ## Emerging Space Tech Founder and CEO Jonathan Yaney has big hopes for the technology. "This will truly be a disruptive enabler for the emerging commercial space industry," he said. The news comes after the startup received funding in 2018 from the likes of Google and Airbus Ventures. In January, SpinLaunch moved into its massive new headquarters in Long Beach, California and opened a $7 million test facility at New Mexico's Spaceport America — the same facility that Virgin Galactic now calls their home. SpinLaunch's first launch is planned for 2022, while the first kinetic energy tests are slated for early 2020. **READ MORE:** [This Startup Wants To Use A Hypersonic Catapult To Throw Satellites Directly Into Space By 2022]() \[*Forbes*\] **More on SpinLaunch:** *[Space Catapult Startup Will Soon Launch Into Action]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()