Earlier this year, Sarens lifted and manoeuvred the world’s largest diameter vacuum chamber in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico.
Sarens was commissioned by SpinLaunch to assist in the heavy lifting and transport operations at its site in Truth or Consequences between December 2020 and February 2021. SpinLaunch is currently developing and testing a mass accelerator to launch satellites into space orbit using kinetic energy instead of rockets; the vacuum chamber represents a central piece of the technology, said Sarens.
A detailed engineering study and lifting plan was worked out with the client to develop a unique concept design for lifting and tilting the launching chamber. Sarens deployed two multi-lifting towers, strand jacks, and 64 axle lines of SPMTs powered by four powerpack units to execute the work.
The equipment was mobilised in 32 trucks from Sarens’ sites in Virginia and Houston and assembled in four weeks. The wind, snow, and freezing temperatures added to the challenge.
The chamber measured 33 m diameter and weighed over 1,000 tonnes. It was lifted vertically over 16 m, rotated 90 degrees, and transported 200 m.
A video of the project can be seen here.
