A Giant Leap, Without the Rocket Fuel
The core concept behind Longshot Space is to replace the most expensive and complex part of a space launch—the massive first-stage rocket booster—with a ground-based kinetic launcher. Instead of burning millions of kilograms of propellant to fight through
the thickest part of Earth's atmosphere, Longshot's system uses compressed gas to accelerate a payload to hypersonic speeds inside a very long tube. The idea, often called a "space gun," isn't new, with historical roots in concepts like Germany's V-3 cannon from World War II. While those early attempts failed, Longshot believes modern materials, precision engineering, and computing power can finally make the physics work for commercial space access. The goal is to fling a projectile containing a satellite to an extreme altitude, where a much smaller, more efficient upper-stage rocket would then fire to complete the final push into a stable orbit.
How the Space Gun Works
Longshot's technology is a form of multi-injection accelerator. A projectile carrying the satellite sits inside a long, horizontal pipe. An initial burst of compressed gas starts its journey. The key innovation is what happens next. As the projectile speeds down the barrel, precisely timed bursts of additional gas are fired from ports along the sides. This gas hits a long, tapered tail on the projectile, squeezing it forward much like toothpaste from a tube. This "side-injection" technique allows the projectile to travel faster than the gas itself, a critical breakthrough needed to reach near-orbital velocities from the ground. The timing of these gas injections must be controlled with sub-millisecond precision. The company has already demonstrated the concept with prototypes, achieving speeds over Mach 4 in a 120-foot test barrel located in Alameda, California.
The Promise: Cheaper, Greener, and Faster
The business case for kinetic launch is compelling. Traditional rocket launches cost anywhere from $2,500 to $25,000 per kilogram to get to low Earth orbit. Longshot's CEO, Mike Grace, believes his system could eventually bring that cost down to as little as $10 per kilogram. The savings come from eliminating the need for huge, expendable rocket boosters and massive quantities of chemical propellants. Instead of a complex aerospace vehicle, the launcher is essentially a piece of civil infrastructure, made from steel and concrete that can be used repeatedly. This would allow for a much higher launch frequency, potentially firing multiple times a day from a single site. Furthermore, since the primary launch energy is mechanical and doesn't involve combustion, it offers a significantly greener path to space.
The Brains Behind the Audacious Bet
A radical idea needs a credible team, and Longshot was founded by CEO Mike Grace and CTO Nathan Saichek. The pair met at a co-living space in Mountain View known for housing founders of other successful space startups like Planet Labs and Astra. Grace, who previously interned at NASA, founded the company in 2020. Their work has attracted serious attention and funding from both venture capitalists like Draper Associates and the U.S. government. High-profile angel investors, including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, have also backed the company. Longshot has secured millions in funding and a partnership with the Missile Defense Agency, lending it a crucial layer of institutional legitimacy.
The Immense Hurdles Ahead
Despite the promise, the challenges are enormous, as the company's name suggests. To reach orbital velocity, the final cannon would need to be several miles long, a massive infrastructure project. Payloads must be designed to withstand immense g-forces during acceleration, though Longshot argues that a longer barrel makes the launch gentler. Another major issue is what happens when the projectile exits the tube at hypersonic speed and hits the dense lower atmosphere, creating massive friction and heat. Competing kinetic launch company SpinLaunch has faced similar physics challenges. To bridge the gap, Longshot is developing a hypersonic glide vehicle called Glowrider, which could serve the lucrative defense testing market while the company scales up its orbital system. This provides a near-term business model to fund its ultimate, long-shot goal.
