SpaceX founder Elon Musk continues discussions about lunar infrastructure: the other day he published a short post about the idea of electromagnetic guns, or a catapult, to launch cargo from the surface of the Moon. We are talking about the so-called Mass Drivers — electromagnetic starting systems, which can propel the payload without traditional rocket fuel.
I will 2 February 2026 2018, in the SpaceX corporate update after the merger with the xAI startup, the company wrote, that thanks to the Mass Driver and monthly production will be able to run
into deep space large volumes of satellite systems for computing. However, for now, this is only Musk's public vision, rather than an approved program with a defined budget and schedule. The concept itself is not new: back in the 1970s, it was popularized by physicist Gerard O'Neill, which proposed using lunar electromagnetic accelerators to launch raw materials and cargo into space. Today, interest in this idea is returning, because the Moon has weaker gravity and an almost complete absence of an atmosphere, which makes such systems much more logical, than on Earth.
The concept of the idea is a very long magnetic rail, along which the container with the cargo will accelerate, like a trolley, but not at the expense of the engine, and thanks to the electromagnetic field. On Earth, such a launch is hindered by a dense atmosphere and strong gravity, and there are almost no such problems on the Moon. Therefore, the cargo can be greatly accelerated and literally shot into space without a large rocket. Next, a small engine or orbital system already corrects the trajectory.
For the space industry, such a system could become a cheaper way to deliver cargo from the moon to orbit: fuel from lunar resources, construction materials, elements of large telescopes or energy platforms. In the future, this means less dependence on expensive launches from Earth and the ability to assemble large scientific devices already in space. This is especially interesting for astronomy, because the mirrors are big, radio antennas or solar power systems could be phased out and scaled much more cheaply.
Source: https://universemagazine.com