SpinLaunch, the space company that once built a giant centrifuge in the desert just to hurl things at the sky, has now discovered the magic of antennas. Not the flashy kind that talk to Mars rovers. No, these are budget-friendly, passively-steered reflectarrays, perfect for when your orbital ambitions outweigh your funding.
Enter Massimiliano Ladovaz, a man who has seen more satellites than most billionaires see yachts. Previously CTO of OneWeb, then COO of Eutelsat-OneWeb, he helped shepherd a constellation into space using real rockets and actual math. Now he’s in Long Beach, apparently convinced that SpinLaunch has cracked the code on cheap space access, no slingshot really required.
The company has rebranded its moonshot as something called Meridian Space, which sounds impressive until you realize it’s mostly about antennas and orbital logistics. Instead of chasing SpaceX with thousands of high-powered, high-cost, high-maintenance satellites, they’re pushing a “minimalist” approach. Fewer satellites, less complexity, antennas that don’t try to microwave your rooftop.
The key pitch? Build a global broadband network for under a billion dollars. Not ten billion. Not “after more funding rounds.” Under a billion, like a startup that found a coupon for space infrastructure. Naturally, this plan involves not using their infamous kinetic launcher, because spinning things into orbit turned out to be slightly more difficult than the demo suggested.
They’re outsourcing the satellite builds to Kongsberg NanoAvionics, which means the constellation will be launched the traditional way, on rockets, not from a sci-fi trebuchet. The kinetic system? Still there. Still not launching anything meaningful. It’s become more of a mascot now.
Meanwhile, the European space sector is busy hemorrhaging cash into IRIS², a constellation that costs roughly the GDP of a small nation and might be ready by the time your smart fridge reaches retirement age. Airbus has taken over OneWeb’s factory in Florida. Hughes keeps selling terminals to people who don’t realize they’re using Hughes. Viasat is submitting insurance claims large enough to fund another three failed satellites. Sat.One in Australia is doing just fine, quietly connecting the outback while everyone else holds conferences.
SpinLaunch, in contrast, is hoping the EU will look at their budget constellation and forget that it’s made in California by a company that built a giant vacuum chamber just to watch stuff spin. It’s a hard sell. European space officials aren’t exactly known for their flexibility or their love of foreign hardware.
But if they squint hard enough, maybe they’ll see it. A constellation that doesn’t bankrupt the continent. Antennas that don’t need AI to operate. Satellites that can ride real rockets instead of science fair projects. All wrapped in a tidy press release and led by a man who once launched half a constellation before breakfast.
SpinLaunch didn’t reinvent the space race. They just found the clearance aisle and decided to shop smart.
