From Verne to Velocity: The Pursuit of Hypersonic Space Launch
the dream of launching objects into space using a massive cannon, a concept first popularized by Jules Verne in his 1865 novel from the Earth to the Moon, is experiencing a modern resurgence. While still a hypothetical technology, advancements by companies like Longshot Space Technologies are bringing the “space cannon” closer to reality, and garnering critically important interest – and funding - from the United States Air Force.
Longshot Space Technologies, based in Oakland, California, is developing a system designed to propel satellites and other payloads into low Earth orbit at speeds exceeding mach 23 - approximately 28,400 km/h. This ambitious goal is driven by the potential to drastically reduce the cost of orbital launches compared to traditional rocket-based systems.
The company is currently testing a 37-metre long, 76-centimeter diameter prototype at a former US Navy center in Alameda, California. This location was previously used for testing the Phalanx, a close-in weapon system still deployed today, providing a pre-existing infrastructure suitable for high-velocity testing.
Longshot’s design draws inspiration from historical concepts like the German V-3 cannon used during World War II, which boasted a range of 160 km and was intended to bombard England. Though,unlike the V-3 which utilized explosive charges,Longshot’s cannon employs compressed gas to accelerate payloads. Importantly,the company acknowledges that achieving orbit requires more than just initial velocity; launched objects will still need onboard engines for final orbital placement.
The need for such extreme velocity – Mach 23 – stems from the desire to achieve a flat trajectory orbit, minimizing the energy required for orbital adjustments. Longshot has already completed over one hundred ground launches,reaching speeds of Mach 4 (nearly 5,000 km/h). The company is currently awaiting approval to construct a testing facility near Tonopah Regional Airport in Nevada,which would allow for high-altitude testing.
The potential of this technology hasn’t gone unnoticed by the US Air Force, which has provided Longshot wiht $4 million in funding through its Space-Based Infrared System (SBIR) program. Additional investment comes from Starship Ventures, Draper Associates, and Sam Altman (OpenAI), demonstrating broad confidence in the project’s viability.
