Ka‘ū News Briefs Monday, March 19, 2018

Slingatron, a technology for launching small packages into space, received some funding from the U.S. Army. A different technology is  proposed by SpinLaunch, with one of the potential sites above Pohu‘e Bay. Image from nextBigFuture

SPINLAUNCH REPRESENTATIVES plan to meet with the Ka‘ū Community on Saturday, April 16, at 10 a.m., at Nā‘ālehuCommunity Center, according to the Ahu Moku Advisory Committee to the state Department of Land & Natural Resources. SpinLaunch is the company that proposes a small space launch facility, selecting from four possible sites on Hawai‘i Island and one on Kaua‘i. One of the proposed sites is likely the land around Pohu‘e Bay, next to the Hawaiian Ocean View Ranchos community.

     According to the Ahu Moku Advisory Committee, representing SpinLaunch will be Ryan Hampton and Raphael Feldman. Also attending will be state Sen. Glenn Wakai, of O‘ahu, who introduced the Special Purpose Revenue Bond measure into the Hawai‘i Legislature to help SpinLaunch raise some $25 million for the project. SB2703 is cosponsored by Sen. Kai Kahele of Hilo. The companion bill HB 2559 was introduced by Rep. Cindy Evans who represents North Kona and Kohala in the state House of Representatives.

O‘ahu Sen. Glen Wakai will meet with Ka‘ū residents on April 16. He introduced the $25 million Special Purpose Revenue Bond into the Hawai‘i Senate to help fund SpinLaunch.

     Members of the Ahu Moku Advisory Committee have provided testimony to the legislature, questioning the project and asking for the public meeting in Ka‘ū. 

QUESTIONS ABOUT THE SPINLAUNCH PROPOSAL come from Ililani Media's Henry Curtis, of Life of the Land. Curtis is an energy expert who frequently testifies, with standing, before the state Public Utilities Commission.
     SpinLaunch proposes to launch small packages and satellites into space by using a spinning machine that would fling them into orbit at a far lower cost than traditional, larger rockets. The company proposes to use only about eight acres, plus a large solar farm for energy to run the project, and a large buffer zone between the launch site and the public. One of the possible sites, around Pohu‘e Bay, is 16,000 acres and for sale for $18 million.

     On Ililani Media, Curtis asks why legislators are not asking more questions of the SpinLaunch team? He noted that Regenerative Breaking is one element of the new technology of SpinLaunch. Curtis writes: "Regenerative Breaking is a method of braking in which energy is extracted from the parts braked, to be stored and reused. Why would Regenerative Breaking help launch satellites? No legislator asked."
     He also points out that SpinLaunch was created when "one Californiaindividual formed a mainland company with only one officer, himself. The company is not registered to do business in Hawai‘i. Life of the Land questioned this, but no answer was provided."
     Curtis questions, "Would the use of renewable energy for launching satellites compete with other demands for renewable energy? What is the greenhouse gas impacts form launching Hawai‘i satellites? The questions were not asked or answered."

Rep. Cindy Evans, who represents North Kona and Kohala,  introduced the SpinLaunch bill intothe state House of Representatives.

     Curtis points out that "Hawai‘i has 2045 goals and is now passing laws encouraging the adoption of U.N. sustainability goals for 12 years from now." SpinLaunch proposes to, "use a vast amount of energy from some source to create ground-based electricity to propel satellites into orbit without the need for rocket ships....SB 2703 states that SpinLaunch will grab a share of the growing Hawai‘i market of 'abundant, infinite, renewable energy resources' to provide the necessary launching power, and the system will also use 'regenerative braking', whatever that means.

     "This upshot will allegedly be a multi-million dollar construction and launching industry in Hawai‘i. This will facilitate a 'pro-growth environment for the developing commercial space industry' that will 'contribute to space exploration, observation, and transportation,'" Curtis quotes the proposal before the legislature.

     He states that "The substantive totality of the SpinLaunch CEO's testimony before the Senate Economic Development, Tourism and Technology Committee was brief." It includes the statement "SpinLaunch's adoption in Hawai‘i will facilitate a pro-growth environment for the developing commercial space industry on the Islands, bringing a unique capability to market that will facilitate new satellite based business models. SpinLaunch will contribute to the continued development of the Hawai[i aerospace presence with new technologies, creating a diversity of 21st century jobs locally, while educating communities and improving on the sustainability of Hawai‘i."

     Late testimony at the legislature was submitted by the SpinLaunch Project Manager: "I have recently become acquainted with Hawai‘i and have found the people of the Islands to respect and honor the value and prestige of the land in a way more passionately than I have seen in most other places around the world. SpinLaunch aims to uphold and honor these values while working with communities to help propel economies of new technology."

Henry Curtis questions the energy needed for SpinLaunch to  take packages to space. Photo from Ililani Media

     Curtis states that SpinLaunch added new voices to the testimony when it went before the Senate Ways and Means Committee: The Director of Launch Site Development at SpinLaunch Inc. wrote that "Recently my family and I moved to the Pāhoa area of the BigIslandin 2017. My background comes from time spent in the US Navy and working in various capacities of deep water diving and construction such as natural disaster relief and clean up. My history allows me a unique perspective and love for life on tropical islands, populated by ecological wonders that I feel are ever present in the Hawaiian Islands. I see SpinLaunch development on the Islands as a way to continue the rich history of navigation, exploration and discovery while stimulating and encouraging technological advancements and education that can help humankind understand more about our planet, our universe and ourselves."

     The O‘ahu County Committee Legislative Priorities Committee of the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i testified in favor of the bill for many reasons, states Curtis, including that it "uses an abundant, infinite, renewable energy resources - solar energy and regenerative braking - to provide electrical loading."

     An article from nextBigFuture describes the SpinLaunch plan: "SpinLaunch is raising $30 million to use large centrifuges to power catapult to launch payloads into space. They use large centrifuges to store energy and will then rapidly transfer that momentum into a catapult to send a payload to space at up to 4,800 kilometers per hour (3,000 mph). If successful, the acceleration architecture is projected to be both lower cost and use much less power, with the price of a single space launch reduced to under US$500,000.

The U.S. Army put money into a related idea for a cheaper launch  mechanism into space. It was called the Slingatron. Image from nextBigFuture

     "SpinLaunch was founded in 2014 by Jonathan Yaney, who previously started Titan Aerospace, a solar-powered drone company and subsequently sold it to Google. They raised $1 million in equity in 2014, the year SpinLaunch was founded, $2.9 million in equity in 2015, $2.2 million in debt in mid-2017 and another $2 million in debt in late 2017. SpinLaunch has raised a total of $10 million to date.
     The article talks about the bill "proposed in the Hawai‘i state senate to issue $25 million in bonds to assist SpinLaunch with 'constructing a portion of its electrical small satellite launch system.'"
     The nextBigFuture article compares SpinLaunch to a different technique for space launches proposed in 1979 by Derek A. Tidman. He called it the Slingatron. The idea is to launch the Slingatron from a mountain, high up where the earth's atmosphere is thin and much easier to penetrate, requiring less energy than at sea level. The U.S. military conducted some testing. One of the military concerns for Slingatron and and apparent challenges for SpinLaunch is whether delicate instruments could survive the high amount of G Force during the launch.The Slingathron and several other launch initiatives are further described on the website, nextBigFuture.

UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI‘I ENERGY SPECIALIST Jennifer "Jennie" Potter has been nominated to the Public Utilities Commission by Gov. David Ige. Potter is an assistant specialist with the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa's Hawai‘i Natural Energy Institute, announces Ige's office.

     Prior to joining the Institute, Potter was a senior scientific engineering associate in the Electricity Market and Policy group at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. While there, she was the project lead on the 2025 California Demand Response Potential Study for the California Public Utilities Commission. Potter also worked at the Sacramento Municipal Utility District in various positions, including enterprise performance data manager, principal market analyst, and project manager. She was also an electric analyst for the City of Rosevillein California.

     Potter earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in International Studies and Economics from Southern Oregon University, and her Master of Science degree in Public Policy and Management from CarnegieMellonUniversity.

     "Jennifer has a solid background and extensive experience that will enable her to serve well on the Public Utilities Commission. I look forward to working with her to achieve a 100 percent clean energy future," Gov. Ige said.

     "I am deeply honored and humbled to have the opportunity to serve as commissioner to the Public Utilities Commission. I am dedicated to serving the people of Hawai‘i and supporting the state's clean energy and resiliency goals," said Potter.

     Potter begins her six-year term on July 1, 2018. She will replace Lorraine Akiba, whose term expires on June 30, 2018.

     "We thank Commissioner Akiba for her distinguished public service, expertise and leadership. She has played a key role in representing Hawai'iin the state's renewable energy transformation. I wish her well in all her future endeavors," Gov. Ige said. Potter's nomination is subject to Senate confirmation.