Launch Explained – Theme Park Definition

A launch is the section of track where a coaster gets its energy from a motor rather than from gravity. Four technologies dominate. LSM (linear synchronous motor) launches line the track with electromagnets that pull on a fin under the train — smooth, precisely controllable, and repeatable mid-circuit, which is why almost every new launched coaster uses them. LIM (linear induction motor) launches work similarly but waste more energy as heat. Hydraulic launches use a winch driven by nitrogen-pressurised accumulators and deliver the most violent acceleration ever built; compressed-air launches, used on Maxx Force, are faster still over the first metres.

What separates a launch from a lift hill is not just the speed but where the energy can be spent. A lift hill has to be the highest point of the ride, so everything after it is downhill. A launch can sit anywhere, which is why multi-launch layouts like Taron at Phantasialand or Voltron Nevera at Europa-Park can stay fast for their whole length instead of trading height for speed once. A launch that fails to make it through the layout results in a rollback.