DARPA Clears Path for 'Space Gun' in U.S. Hypersonic Arms Race

ALAMEDA, Calif. – August 11, 2026 – The Pentagon’s advanced research arm has given a significant nod to a technology straight out of science fiction. Longshot, a defense and space technology startup, announced today that its ground-based kinetic launch system has achieved “awardable” status from the DARPA Expedited Research Innovation System (ERIS) Marketplace. This designation effectively places the company’s “space gun” on a fast track for government acquisition, signaling a potentially radical shift in how the U.S. develops and tests its next generation of hypersonic and space vehicles.

For a small company backed by Silicon Valley venture capital, this is more than just a validation; it's a direct line to the heart of the nation's defense apparatus. The move suggests that DARPA is aggressively seeking disruptive solutions to one of America’s most pressing national security challenges: keeping pace in the global hypersonic arms race.

From Sci-Fi to Strategic Asset: The Kinetic Launcher

Longshot’s technology is not a traditional rocket. Instead, the company is pioneering what it calls a “multi-injection, ground-based accelerator.” In simpler terms, it’s a massive kinetic launcher designed to propel payloads to hypersonic velocities—more than five times the speed of sound—before they ever ignite an engine. By keeping the complex and heavy propulsion infrastructure on the ground, the system aims to launch vehicles with a frequency and affordability that chemically-fueled rockets cannot match.

This approach, however, comes with immense engineering challenges. Accelerating a vehicle to such speeds generates extreme G-forces, requiring payloads to be specially hardened. Punching through the dense lower atmosphere at hypersonic speeds also creates intense friction and heat. Longshot claims its “multi-injection” method, which applies a series of progressive impulses along an accelerator track, helps manage these forces. The goal is to provide a powerful, controlled “first stage” launch that dramatically reduces the amount of onboard propellant a vehicle needs to carry.

“We are honored to have been deemed awardable by the DARPA team for our work on multi-injection mass drivers and launch vehicles,” said Mark Bigham, Longshot's Vice President of Defense, in a statement. “Our new method of kinetic launch will deliver high-cadence launch at affordable prices.”

This focus on cadence and cost is precisely what has captured the Pentagon's attention. The ability to conduct frequent, repeatable tests is the single greatest bottleneck in the development of hypersonic systems today.

The Pentagon's New 'Fast Pass': Inside the ERIS Marketplace

The significance of the “awardable” status cannot be overstated. The DARPA ERIS Marketplace is not a traditional grant program; it’s a transformative acquisition platform. It acts as a digital “front door” for innovators to pitch their solutions directly to the Department of Defense. To become “awardable,” Longshot’s 7-minute video pitch and supporting documents were competitively assessed by a panel of government and industry experts.

Having passed this rigorous review, Longshot is now effectively “post-competitive.” This means any interested government customer—from a DARPA program manager to a military service branch—can view the company’s solution and directly negotiate a contract using a flexible Other Transaction Authority (OTA) agreement. This process bypasses the years-long bureaucratic procurement cycles that have historically favored large, established defense contractors, effectively creating a high-speed lane for critical technology.

“As a DIU PM, I had the honor of working with DARPA on several projects, and I'm looking forward to doing so again, this time in the civilian sector,” noted Matt Palumbo, Longshot's Director of Programs, highlighting the firm's deep understanding of the government's push for streamlined innovation.

This model is a deliberate strategy to harness the agility of the commercial tech sector. For a company like Longshot, which also has U.S. Air Force support, the ERIS status provides a clear, accelerated path from a promising concept to a tangible, funded project that can address an urgent defense need.

Addressing America's Hypersonic Bottleneck

The strategic context for DARPA’s interest is clear. The United States is locked in a high-stakes technological race with peer adversaries to develop and field hypersonic weapons. These systems, capable of maneuvering at speeds above Mach 5, challenge existing missile defense architectures and threaten to upend strategic stability. A key advantage for competitors has been their willingness to “test, fail, and test again” at a rapid pace.

U.S. hypersonic testing, by contrast, has been hampered by a limited number of test ranges and a reliance on expensive, one-off launches using converted ballistic missiles or air-dropped boosters. Each test is a major event, costing tens of millions of dollars and requiring months of preparation. This slow, costly cycle makes rapid iteration and learning nearly impossible.

Longshot's kinetic launcher offers a paradigm-shifting alternative. A ground-based system could serve as a dedicated, high-throughput testbed, launching hypersonic vehicle prototypes, components, materials, and sensors on a daily or weekly basis. This would generate a wealth of flight data, allowing engineers to rapidly refine their designs and accelerate the entire U.S. hypersonic development timeline. By making hypersonic testing more like software development—with continuous integration and rapid iteration—the U.S. could potentially leapfrog its competitors.

While the initial application is focused on testing, the technology’s potential for launching satellites into orbit has not gone unnoticed. If Longshot can solve the immense technical hurdles, its kinetic launcher could one day offer a revolutionary way to achieve responsive, low-cost access to space for both commercial and defense payloads. For now, however, its most immediate impact will be in the critical domain of national security, providing a much-needed jolt to America's hypersonic ambitions.