Longshot aims to launch cargo into space using a gun
California-based startup Longshot Space Technology is developing a cannon system for space launches, aiming to reduce costs and complexity compared to rockets. The company has raised $20 million in funding.
California-based startup Longshot Space Technology is developing an alternative method for sending cargo into space: utilizing a colossal cannon. The company aims to provide a more cost-effective and simpler solution for space launches compared to traditional rockets.
Longshot's co-founders, CEO Mike Grace and CTO Nato Saichek, believe that leveraging conventional physics through a cannon system presents a promising approach to space operations. Their objective is to enable space-based data centers, which require frequent and economical launches.
The company has secured approximately $20 million in funding from investors to advance its technology. "When you're building frontier technology, you can build something that has a lot of novelty, or you can do something really hard. You don’t get to do both," stated Grace. He likened the company's strategy to SpaceX, which he noted has aggressively scaled classically de-risked technology.
Longshot employs multi-injection gun designs, where a projectile receives additional boosts as it travels down the barrel. This technology offers a potential alternative to conventional rockets, which are costly and complex to build and operate.