Episode
Minus One to Space Gun | Nato Saichek
- Podcast
- Minus One
- Published
- Jun 11, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 2546
- Processing state
not_requested
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Summary
Nato Saichek, cofounder and CTO of Longshot Space, joins South Park Commons Partner Jonathan Brebner to explain why rockets won the space race for the wrong reasons—and why a 15-kilometer space gun may be the most rational path to cheap access to orbit. Nato traces Longshot's origins from garage experiments with his cofounder Mike Grace, through building the world's largest operational cannon, to a first-principles reimagining of launch economics. He explains why $4 trillion in rocket investment locked civilization into a local optimum, how aerospace-grade hardware can be replicated for $5 in parts, and what it actually feels like to shoulder the weight of a deeply unconventional bet. Nato Saichek: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natosaichek/ Jonathan Brebner: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-brebner/ South Park Commons: https://www.linkedin.com/company/southparkcommons/ Apply to SPC: https://www.southparkcommons.com/apply Chapters: (00:00:00) - The 15-Kilometer Space Gun (00:06:27) - The History of Space Guns and Why the Idea Was Abandoned (00:09:33) - Why Rockets Aren’t the Best Solution (00:18:39) - The Story of Longshot Space (00:22:09) - Nato On Leaving His Dream Job (00:28:25) - Fundraising for an Unconventional Idea (00:39:36) - The Perks of Having a Cofounder