ivorbach

I agree, it's hard to imagine a payload that could withstand the g-forces required to reach space through a centrifuge launch. I think what interests investors is that in the low likelihood they succeed, they could create an order-of-magnitude reduction in launch costs. Some investors seem to have decided that was worth the bet

Author here! So exciting to see my newsletter on HN! Thank you for taking the time to read, I really appreciate it. Happy to answer any questions or respond to comments as well!

It's a great point that these small launch vehicles will never be able to compete with larger vehicles like Falcon 9 on cost/kg. It does seem to me that launch factors besides costs (such as those described by others on this thread) leave room for small rocket players. I think a big question is how many players can exist in that small, dedicated launch market. It's also exciting to see how some of the small launch companies are exploring ways to differentiate themselves to carve out their own protectable segment of the market.

It's a fair point! It's very challenging for many of the reasons already pointed out. I'll just add that a couple organizations have actually tried but haven't yet had success doing so: https://spacenews.com/small-launch-startup-leo-aerospace-sus...

There's actually a well-funded, VC backed startup pursuing this very strategy if you're interested in checking them out! https://techcrunch.com/2020/01/16/spinlaunch-spins-up-a-35m-...