Longshot Secures Testing Facility for Giant Space Launcher
Alameda facility supports Longshot’s path toward advanced hypersonic testing and ultra-low-cost, ground-based kinetic launch
ALAMEDA, Calif., Sept. 30, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Longshot, an emerging space company pioneering a kinetic launch system—a “space gun”—announced that it has signed a lease with the City of Alameda for a former U.S. Navy indoor cannon testing facility at Alameda Point. Purpose-built for large-scale, high-energy experiments and overlooking the San Francisco Bay, the site will serve as Longshot’s build-and-test center for a 30-inch interior diameter, 120-foot-long accelerator prototype that is expected to be the world’s largest operational gun.
The building stretches the length of a football field and is reinforced with thousands of cubic yards of concrete, designed to contain repeated firings of naval cannons and point defense systems. Originally commissioned by the U.S. Navy, the site was used to develop and test shipboard weapons such as the Phalanx close-in weapon system. With its thick walls, heavy foundations, and secure indoor range, the facility provides an ideal environment for Longshot’s next-generation accelerator tests.
“The Alameda facility gives us a dedicated home in the Bay Area to develop and validate full diameter, sub-length systems,” said Mike Grace, CEO of Longshot. “It’s critical that we refine the fundamentals of our design here, before scaling up to the much larger accelerators we plan to build in the Nevada desert.”
Work at the Alameda facility begins this fall with fit-out and assembly, followed by an initial test campaign to validate core systems, operating cadence, and safety at scale. The controlled, indoor range supports frequent, instrumented, high-energy testing in an appropriate setting. After the Alameda buildout, Longshot plans to transition higher-energy operations to a desert site to enable longer barrels and greater payload masses launched up to high hypersonic speeds.
Longshot has built significant momentum over the past year, with the Alameda facility marking just one of several major milestones. The company recently completed multiple successful tests at its Oakland facility, which has conducted more than 100 launches and reached speeds exceeding Mach 4. In addition, Longshot has secured more than $8 million in funding over the past two years.
For Media: if you’re interested in touring the Alameda facility and joining CEO Mike Grace and the Longshot team for a test launch this fall, please reach out to Longshot@wearecsg.com.
About Longshot:
Longshot is an emerging launch company pioneering a kinetic “space gun,” a multi-injection, ground-based accelerator designed to propel payloads to hypersonic velocities. By keeping the infrastructure on Earth, Longshot aims to unlock reliable, high-frequency access to space and expand what is possible for science, commerce, and defense. Backed by Silicon Valley venture capital and U.S. Air Force support, the company is advancing a stepwise path from hypersonic testing to scalable orbital capability.
Media Contact:
Emily Richard
Communications Strategy Group (CSG)
Erichard@wearecsg.com
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/1cf31dd2-a073-4619-952d-56f716ee7f54
Alameda Facility Rendering
Mini Gun in Alameda Range
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