Longshot Space
Builds reusable ground-based accelerators for hypersonic testing and cargo launch.
Founded
2020Builds reusable ground-based accelerators for hypersonic testing and cargo launch.
Longshot keeps fuel and most systems on the ground so the same accelerator can be reused, unlike expendable rockets. TechCrunch reported the design targets a few hundred Gs, far below the 10,000 G class of SpinLaunch-style kinetic launch.
That mix is aimed at cheaper, higher-cadence hypersonic testing for government customers before a later cargo-to-orbit path. First-party positioning is that rockets carry too much complexity into flight, while Longshot moves energy onto reusable ground infrastructure.
Source: techcrunch.com
U.S. defense demand for hypersonic test infrastructure is the near-term market. In 2026 Longshot was listed as awardable on DARPA's ERIS Marketplace and joined the Air Force Velocity Alliance for lower-cost test infrastructure.
The company also sits on a Mettle Ops team awarded a Missile Defense Agency SHIELD IDIQ supporting Golden Dome work. Those government channels sit beside a longer-term commercial cargo-to-orbit ambition if larger guns reach orbital velocity.
Source: longshotspace.com
Longshot Space builds reusable multi-injection pneumatic accelerators that keep launch energy on the ground and push payloads to hypersonic speeds. The near-term offering is a ground-based testbed for defense and aerospace teams that need high-cadence hypersonic shots.
The longer-term path is non-human cargo launch toward orbit, using the same ground-based architecture rather than expendable rockets. First-party work also includes Glowrider, a hypersonic glide vehicle, as larger Alameda and desert accelerators scale up.
Source: longshotspace.com