SpinLaunch at Spaceport America announces more jobs, expansion
SpinLaunch's recently-constructed 10,000-square-foot Integration Facility and Mission Control at Spaceport America is pictured in this undated photo. [Courtesy Photo / New Mexico Economic Development Department]
SPACEPORT AMERICA — A company developing and testing a mass accelerator with the aim of launching satellites into space orbit — using kinetic energy instead of rockets — is expanding at New Mexico’s Spaceport America, Cabinet Secretary Alicia J. Keyes announced Tuesday.
SpinLaunch signed a lease at Spaceport America in 2019 and has since invested in test facilities and an integration facility. The company is now set to hire an additional 59 highly paid workers and complete the build of its suborbital centrifugal launch system for its next phase of development, according to EDD.
SpinLaunch expects to start test launches in New Mexico in 2021. The news comes just days after the facility's anchor tenant, Virgin Galactic, saw its test flight Saturday end prematurely as the spacecraft's rocket motor failed to ignite — then glided down safely to its landing site in southern New Mexico. It's unclear how soon another window will open for Virgin Galactic's next attempt at a powered flight to space.
"Spaceport America is the next frontier for innovation," said Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham Tuesday in a written release. "It is a magnet for companies on the cutting edge, like SpinLaunch, and New Mexico is glad for their partnership with and investment in our state. I'm incredibly excited about this latest expansion at the Spaceport."
In recent months, the facility's management has been embroiled in controversy surrounding the ouster of its former executive director, Dan Hicks, following allegations he oversaw the misuse of public funds. The New Mexico Spaceport Authority — the governing body charged with overseeing the facility — is currently seeking a new director.
State, county 'excited to collaborate' with SpinLaunch
The state of New Mexico, through the Economic Development Department’s LEDA job-creators fund, is supporting the expansion with $4 million, which the department said will be paid out in phases as SpinLaunch reaches economic development benchmarks.
Sierra County is the fiscal agent for the project and the Sierra County Commission is expected to consider the LEDA ordinance in the coming weeks.
Sierra County Manager Bruce Swingle said Sierra County "is excited to collaborate with the Economic Development Department and SpinLaunch” on the LEDA project.
"SpinLaunch is part of the growing community of businesses creating jobs and innovating new technologies at New Mexico's Spaceport America," Keyes said. "We see the state's space cluster as an important economic driver to diversify the economy with higher-paying jobs in Southern New Mexico."
The company is expected to spend $46 million of private money in construction and expansion over 10 years, the department projects, and is expected to generate an economic impact of $239 million, statewide, over the same period.
Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo Unity, attached to mothership, VMS Eve, takes off on Saturday, Dec. 12, 2020 at Spaceport America in southern New Mexico. Saturday morning's test flight marks the third space flight overall for Virgin Galactic as the company looks to begin commercial flights next year. [Photo: Virgin Galactic]
Spinlaunch's cutting-edge technology
The concept behind SpinLaunch is a novel centrifuge system that rapidly spins a vehicle around on the ground until it reaches hypersonic speeds. It then releases the capsule like a catapult to hurl to the edge of space.
It's a cutting-edge concept that, if successful, could radically change the way small satellites are launched in the near future. It could cut expenses to a fraction of today's costs as the world prepares to place tens of thousands of tiny, shoebox-sized "cubesats" into low Earth orbit.
In August, New Mexico Build, LLC — a wholly-owned subsidiary of SpinLaunch — was awarded a Job Training Incentive Program grant of $245,290.
SpinLaunch founder Jonathan Yaney said the company hopes to grow into thousands of employees as it develops.
“When you’re this young of a company, with this bold of a concept, being able to receive assistance is absolutely essential," he said of the incentives. "This support was instrumental in deciding to come to New Mexico.”
He believes the company's technology is a cleaner and more affordable way to reach orbit.
"Our technology enables a 10 times reduction in the current costs and complexities of reaching orbit," Yaney said. "As the number of rocket launches rapidly increases, SpinLaunch uniquely reaches space without releasing pollutants into critical layers of the atmosphere. We’re satisfying both the economic and environmental demands of a space industry experiencing exponential growth."
Yaney went on to note that the technology marks the "first time in human history we have an alternative to rockets."
Yaney said SpinLaunch plans to recruit from New Mexico’s universities and is reaching out to New Mexico State University and New Mexico Tech for potential employees. As the company moves toward test launches, its hires will shift toward engineers and other technical experts.
Damien Willis is a Lead Reporter for the Las Cruces Sun-News. He can be reached at 575-541-5443, dwillis@lcsun-news.com or @DamienWillis on Twitter.
This story originally appeared in the Las Cruces Sun-News on Dec. 16, 2020.
