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For decades, science fiction literature and films have delved into the notion of generating artificial gravity through the centrifugal force of a rotating spacecraft, a concept that emerged alongside humanity’s pursuit of space exploration and the discovery of microgravity environment.
As of the time of this writing, no aerospace company has ever actually tested the concept of creating artificial gravity in space. Research on artificial gravity concepts has been explored, but practical implementation and testing in space environments remain a challenge.
SpaceX is a leader in aerospace innovation, and company founder Elon Musk sure loves challenges. Earlier this week, Musk shared on 𝕏 (social media) that “Starship will have a small spin on the way to Mars. Even a tiny gravity vector is better than none,” he said on March 6. This revelation came in response to Id Software founder John Carmack who suggested SpaceX should try to create it — “Spin gravity for space has been talked about since before I was born, but still hasn’t been demonstrated. SpaceX should Just Do It with a Dragon capsule, counterweight, and cable,” said Carmack. However, Dragon will be retired once Starship is operational, as the company moves toward grander space exploration missions.
Developing a Starship with artificial gravity would be an important technological advancement for long-duration space missions, like the journey to Mars. Artificial gravity would help mitigate the negative effects of prolonged microgravity on the human body, such as muscle atrophy and bone density loss.
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Creating artificial gravity would significantly enhance the comfort of long space journeys to Mars and beyond, surpassing the challenges of enduring months aboard a microgravity spacecraft. With the current Starship propellant technology, the trip is estimated to take anywhere between 5 to 6 months. And with SpaceX’s plans of refueling Starships in low-Earth orbit, it would allow for a faster path to Mars. Refueling the spacecraft in space could reduce travel time to as little as 3 months. The relative positions of Earth and Mars also significantly impact travel time. The ideal launch window occurs every 26 months, so a mission launched at a non-optimal time could take longer.
Artificial gravity could potentially also be created by tethering two SpaceX Starships and spinning them simultaneously, it is a concept known as “tethered gravity assist.” While theoretically viable, implementing it poses engineering challenges, such as managing the tether’s length and ensuring stability during the voyage. Additionally, the rotational forces on the tether could be complex. Research and development would be needed to assess the feasibility and practicality of this approach for providing artificial gravity during a long-duration Starship voyage.
Starship will have a small spin on the way to Mars. Even a tiny gravity vector is better than none.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 6, 2024
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