Natural gas-powered space gun shoots stuff @ 13,000 mph

John Hunter an ex-physicist from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory has experience of shooting a 425-foot gun he built to test-launch hypersonic engines. That was mechanical firing, and knowing the limitation, now in his own company, Quicklaunch, he’s developed a natural gas–powered canon he believes will help shoot supplies into space at about 13,000 mph, thus producing about 5,000 Gs.

space cannon

The 3,600-foot gun he calls the Quicklauncher has a combustor that burns natural gas. The hydrogen on burning in a confined space builds up enough pressure to send a half-ton payload into the sky at 13,000 mph, and that’s exactly what Hunter projects to do with his space gun. The space gun, or cannon if you may like, will be a rather cheaper method to send out deliveries of fuel tanks and ruggedized satellites into orbital outposts.

Hunter is expected to test a functional 10-foot prototype cannon in a water tank next month. Whereas he believes a full-size launcher could be ready in seven years for a cost of about $500 million.

space gun

Via: PopSci