Whirlwind
A host spacecraft that spins up small microsatellites and flings them off at high speed, giving them most of their velocity change without firing a thruster.
Why it matters
Rocket fuel limits how far a satellite can move. Throwing cheap satellites mechanically could let one host deliver many small sensors or probes where they are needed.
How the technology works
Whirlwind spins microsatellites up with centrifugal acceleration and releases them, so the payloads need only small thrusters of their own. The Space Force backed it with a $50 million award in August 2026.
No date for an orbital test has been announced.
Sources
Updated Oct 22, 2026 · How we source facts · Suggest a correction