Longshot Space Technologies Eyes a Lease at Alameda Point
The company wants a former Navy gun-testing building for its ground-based launch hardware, pending an October 6 council vote.
By The Alameda Pulse
Longshot Space Technologies wants to lease Building 29 at Alameda Point, a former Navy gun-testing facility at 1701 Monarch Street, for $5,670 a month under a deal the Alameda City Council will vote on October 6.
- Where: Building 29, 1701 Monarch Street, Alameda Point (Suite 200)
- What: About 9,200 square feet of workshop space plus a 7,400-square-foot yard
- Cost: $5,670 a month for the first year, rising 3.5% each year after that
- Term: A 37-month lease
- Who decides: The Alameda City Council votes October 6 and needs four "yes" votes to approve it
What is Longshot Space Technologies?
It's a company that builds ground-based launch hardware instead of traditional rockets. Longshot's own site describes its machine as working "like a potato gun, but instead of a single blast of air, you have a bunch of separate air tanks spaced along the barrel," each one adding a push. The company says it has already pushed test hardware to Mach 4.2, more than four times the speed of sound, and is currently focused on hypersonic testing for defense and aerospace clients. The longer-term goal, according to Longshot, is a launch system that could send cargo toward orbit by 2030. The company has drawn funding from the U.S. Air Force, the Navy Research Laboratory, Space Force and several venture firms.
Why does a space company want a former Navy gun-testing building?
Building 29 went up in 1987 as a Naval workshop and gun-testing site, and part of it is already leased to Dreyfuss Capital Partners. According to the city's staff report, City Manager Gerry Beaudin is recommending the council approve the rest of the space, Suite 200, for Longshot. One thing worth knowing: the same city planning documents list Building 29 as slated for eventual demolition as part of the future DePave Park, so this lease is a multi-year bridge, not a permanent home.
What happens next for Alameda Point?
The council takes up the lease at its October 6 meeting. If it passes, Longshot would move into Building 29 on a lease running 37 months, giving the company a workshop on the island while it keeps scaling up its hardware. It's a small deal in dollar terms, but it's one more sign of old Navy buildings filling back up with new Alameda businesses instead of sitting vacant. You can follow how the rest of Alameda Point's old buildings are getting reused in the Pulse's development coverage.
