Dec 23 | 2021
1,000-Tonne Unit Part of Ground-breaking Space Launch System
Sarens has successfully transported the world’s largest-diameter vacuum chamber for U.S. space technology company SpinLaunch.
The Belgium-based lifting specialist worked alongside SpinLaunch’s engineering and construction team to devise a detailed study and lifting plan for maneuvering the 33-meter-diameter launch chamber at the tech company’s test facilities in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, earlier this year.
The sci-fi-looking 1,000-tonne steel unit, a key component of SpinLaunch’s ground-breaking system that thrusts satellites into space orbit using kinetic energy rather than traditional rockets, was lifted 16 meters vertically, rotated 90 degrees and transported 200 meters using Sarens’ multi-lifting towers, strand jacks and a self-propelled modular trailer, or SPMT, with a total of 64 axle lines.
The heavy-lift equipment used to execute the job was transported to New Mexico in 32 trucks from Sarens’ sites in Houston and Virginia, and assembled in four weeks. Strong winds and biting temperatures posed additional challenges for the project team.
In a video of the maneuver, released by Sarens, a team member said that for the most part, fewer than 30 people worked on the project.
“As well as requiring a huge lifting potential, the precision with which the installation was completed was of paramount importance. Sarens’ SPMTs can be controlled with millimetric precision and were an essential part of the successful construction of the SpinLaunch apparatus,” Sarens said.
In October, SpinLaunch carried out a successful vertical launch at its New Mexico test site. The L.A.-based innovator is planning to place satellites in orbit and deliver payloads for spacefaring endeavors by 2025, according to its website.
“We are very proud of being part of an historic project,” said Steven Sarens, director of Houston operations at Sarens. “The team faced interesting challenges during the lifts and devised the most unique solutions with intensive engineering and support from SpinLaunch.”
Watch the video of the project move:
