Forget rockets — Longshot wants to fire cargo into space from a gun. See it at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026
Startup Longshot Space Technology is developing a multi-injection gun system to launch cargo into orbit, aiming to reduce the costs and complexities associated with traditional rockets. The company has raised $20 million to adapt historical military gun technology for modern space access.
Why it matters
Alternative launch technologies could drastically lower the barrier to entry for space exploration and satellite deployment.
Rockets are, infamously, a real pain in the butt. Our old friend physics forces rockets to be built with almost no room for error, and even then only a small fraction of their weight makes it to orbit.
There are, at least in theory, other ways to do the job—space elevators, centrifuges, or a big chain hanging from a satellite in space and scooping up cargo from Earth. (Blue Origin spent some time thinking about that one before the idea wound up in a Neal Stephenson novel .)
And then there’s an idea dating all the way back to Jules Verne: Use a big gun to shoot a projectile into space.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in