Longshot Space Technology, a startup based in Alameda, California, is working on a system to launch cargo into space using large guns. The co-founders, CEO Mike Grace and CTO Nato Saichek, aim to apply proven multi-injection gun technology, previously used in World War II and 1960s research programs, to space launch needs.
The system involves a steel pipe mounted horizontally with high-pressure gas tanks along its length. These tanks fire at precise times to accelerate a projectile as it moves down the barrel. The company is currently firing a 70-foot gun near Barstow, California, and plans to begin firing a 140-foot gun at its Alameda test site soon.
Longshot is preparing to build a 328-foot gun, with plans to extend it to approximately 3,000 feet, which would make it the largest gun globally. This larger gun is expected to launch 220-pound payloads at speeds up to Mach 8. The company also generates revenue by performing hypersonic testing for the US military, which has awarded it several contracts.
The ultimate objective is to scale the design to accelerate payloads to 5 kilometers per second (over 11,000 mph), which is fast enough to reach space if the payload has its own propulsion system. This would require a gun about 10 kilometers long and nearly 10 feet in diameter. If successful, Grace anticipates payloads could be sent to space for around $50 per kilogram.