A New Gun in the Space Race
In the competitive business of space access, dominated by towering rockets from companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin, a small Oakland-based startup is pursuing a radically different approach. Longshot Space is developing what is essentially a giant 'space
gun'—a ground-based kinetic launcher designed to propel payloads to hypersonic speeds and, eventually, into orbit. The concept, known as kinetic launch, isn't new, but Longshot believes the technology is finally mature enough to disrupt the multi-billion dollar launch industry. Instead of relying entirely on expensive and complex chemical rockets, which burn through immense amounts of fuel just to overcome Earth's gravity and dense lower atmosphere, Longshot aims to do the heavy lifting on the ground. By using a powerful accelerator to provide the initial, and most energy-intensive, boost, the company hopes to make space access dramatically cheaper, more frequent, and more reliable.
How to Shoot Something Into Orbit
Longshot's system is a type of light-gas gun that uses compressed gas to accelerate a projectile down a very long barrel. Unlike a single explosive charge, Longshot’s design uses multiple injections of gas at precise intervals along the tube's length. This 'multi-injection' technique allows for a more gradual acceleration, distributing the immense forces over a longer period and distance. The initial goal is to get a payload to hypersonic speeds (above Mach 5) to serve the defense testing market. For an orbital launch, the physics are far more demanding. A much larger gun, potentially several kilometres long, would accelerate a payload to nearly orbital velocity. At the edge of the atmosphere, a small, secondary rocket on the payload itself would then ignite to perform the final push and circularize its orbit. This hybrid approach avoids the most fuel-intensive part of any launch: fighting through the thick air of the lower atmosphere.
The Promise of Safer, Cheaper Launches
The core appeal of kinetic launch lies in its economics and safety profile. Traditional rockets are mostly fuel by mass, making them inherently risky and expensive. Kinetic systems move the primary energy source to a reusable ground installation. Instead of explosive rocket fuels, the launcher could be powered by electricity, potentially from renewable sources. This dramatically lowers the cost per launch and eliminates the carbon, soot, and other harmful emissions that chemical rockets inject directly into the fragile upper atmosphere. The approach also promises a much higher launch cadence. While rockets require extensive preparation, a ground-based launcher could theoretically be fired multiple times a day, offering 'on-demand' access to space that is currently impossible. Longshot is targeting a cost as low as $150 per kilogram to orbit, a fraction of the cost of even the most competitive rockets today.
The Immense Challenges Ahead
While the promise is great, the engineering hurdles are monumental. The primary challenge is payload survivability. Satellites launched this way must withstand staggering acceleration forces, potentially exceeding 10,000 times the force of Earth's gravity (10,000 Gs). For comparison, fighter pilots typically endure a maximum of 9 Gs. This means most current satellites, with their delicate instruments and deployable solar arrays, would be instantly destroyed. Payloads must be specifically designed or 'hardened' to survive the launch, a significant constraint that might limit the technology to rugged cargo like water, fuel, or raw materials. Competitor SpinLaunch, which uses a massive centrifuge for a similar purpose, has worked with NASA to prove that some standard satellite components can indeed survive these forces, but it remains a major design consideration. Furthermore, the precision required to hit a specific orbital 'window' from a fixed ground installation is an immense navigational challenge.
From Test Firings to Orbit
Longshot is taking a stepwise approach to proving its technology. The company, backed by investors including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and the U.S. Air Force, has already conducted over 100 test firings with smaller prototypes, achieving speeds over Mach 4. It has recently secured funding to build a much larger test gun designed to accelerate 100-kilogram payloads past Mach 5 for the hypersonic testing market. A test campaign using hydrogen—the intended fuel for operational launchers—is slated to begin soon. These tests are critical stepping stones toward the ultimate goal: building an orbital launch system. If Longshot and its competitors can overcome the significant physical and logistical challenges, they could usher in a new era of space logistics, transforming how we build, supply, and access infrastructure beyond Earth.
