Velodyne Space
CES 2027

Electromagnetic launch · Alameda, California

Launch with electricity, not rocket fuel.

We build electromagnetic launchers. Today they pull hostile drones out of the sky, intact. Next, they put payloads in orbit.

See the first intercept CES 2027

Every rocket carries its own fuel, burned once and gone. We replace it with electricity that stays on the ground, in a launcher built to fire again and again.

Technology

A magnetic wave, not an explosion.

  1. Capacitor banks charge between shots. Nothing burns, and nothing on board is volatile.

  2. Coils fire one after another, 288 in all. The coil ahead pulls the projectile in; the coil behind, with its current reversed, pushes it out.

  3. Past the last coil, the projectile leaves the muzzle with no flame and no smoke, and the bank recharges for the next shot.

Defense · Drone Catching System

Nets, not bullets.

The Drone Catching System fires net rounds from an electromagnetic launcher, up to five a second. Cam-Lidar finds the target, an operator authorizes every shot, and the drone comes down in one piece.

Engagement range
1km
Net rounds per second
5/ s
Round velocity
Mach~1
Authorized by an operator
Everyshot
A — Sensor

Cam-Lidar

Cameras, lidar and AI fused in one sensor head. It detects, classifies and tracks small, fast aerial targets in 3D, by day or night.

  • Lidar + camera fusion
  • Built for targets at 75 mph
COIL STAGEBOREWINDING
B — Effector

Coil launcher

Capacitors discharge through the coils in sequence and throw a net round at about Mach 1. No propellant, no explosive charge.

  • 30 MW peak power
  • Up to 5 rounds per second
FIXED SITEROOFTOPMOBILE
C — Fixed or mobile

Mounting

The launcher and Cam-Lidar mount as one unit, on a fixed site or on the move. Put it where the threat is.

  • Fixed-site or mobile
  • Same system on any mount

For defense, security and critical-infrastructure teams

Talk to us about the DCS

First intercept

Recovered intact.

Our first live engagement: one drone, one net round, nothing left in pieces. Below is an illustrated replay of the sequence.

Full footage premieres at CES 2027

  1. T+00.0DetectCam-Lidar picks up the target and classifies it as a quadrotor.
  2. T+01.6LockTrack locked at 620 m.
  3. T+02.4AuthorizeThe operator confirms the shot.
  4. T+03.0Net awayOne net round leaves the launcher at about Mach 1.
  5. T+03.8CaptureThe net opens and wraps the drone. Rotors stop.
  6. T+04.6ParachuteA parachute deploys and lowers the drone.
  7. T+07.9RecoveredRecovered intact. No debris.

Second generation

Gen 2 debuts at CES. First, a test fire.

Our second-generation launcher goes on show in Las Vegas in January. Before that, it goes to the test stand, and the footage goes here.

Rendering of the second-generation launcher firing at dusk.
Test-fire footageComing soon
Debut
CES 2027, Las Vegas Convention Center
Test fire
Footage posted here when it’s done
Gen 1
First live intercept: drone recovered intact

Space launch · MEL

The same coils, pointed at orbit.

MEL, magnetic-electric launch, takes the coil architecture that throws a net round and scales it toward space. The energy comes from the grid, not from a tank. The launcher stays on the ground, ready to fire again.

1COIL STACK288 coils, fired in sequence2ENERGY STORAGECapacitor banks · 30 MW peak3GRID CONNECTIONEnergy from the ground, not a tank4MUZZLEPayload exits; nothing burnsθL · 288 COILSTO ORBIT ↗VELODYNE SPACE · MEL ORBITAL LAUNCHERCONCEPT ARRANGEMENTSHEET 1 / 1NOT TO SCALEALAMEDA, CA
In the current launcher
288coils
Peak power
30MW
Rocket fuel on the launcher
0kg
Chemical rocketElectromagnetic launch
Energy sourceRocket fuel, carried on boardElectricity, drawn from the ground
Does the liftingThe rocket’s own enginesA launcher that stays on the ground
Exhaust at the padCombustion productsNone
Between launchesRefurbish and refuel, or build anotherRecharge the capacitors and fire

Vision

Make launch ordinary.

Rockets are spectacular because they are rare. We want launch to be frequent, clean and affordable: powered from the grid and repeated on demand.

We start on the ground, catching drones. We finish in orbit.

  1. 01

    Electricity, not rocket fuel

    Energy stays on the ground. Nothing burns and nothing is thrown away.

  2. 02

    Capture, don’t destroy

    Threats come down whole, with no debris and no collateral damage.

  3. 03

    A person decides

    Machines detect and track. A human authorizes every shot.

  4. 04

    Fire again

    A launcher is measured by how often it flies, not by how loud.

CES 2027 · Las Vegas

Meet Gen 2 in Las Vegas.

Days
:
Hours
:
Minutes
:
Seconds

Our second-generation launcher will be on the show floor. Come see it up close, and watch the first intercept footage with us.

Dates
January 6–9, 2027
Venue
Las Vegas Convention Center
Booth
Announced soon
Book a meeting at CES Add to calendar
Last year at CESVelodyne Space at CES 2026

Company

Built by the inventor of 3D lidar.

Velodyne Space is led by its founder, David Hall. He built the spinning lidar that let the first autonomous vehicles see. Now he’s building launchers that run on electricity.

“Cam-Lidar paired with the Velodyne Space electrical-magnetic-launch system is a game changer to defend against the threat of drones.”

David Hall — Founder & CEO
Meet the team
  1. 1983Founded Velodyne
  2. 2005Invented real-time 3D lidar for the DARPA Grand Challenge
  3. 2007Five of the six finishers of the DARPA Urban Challenge saw the road with it
  4. TodayElectromagnetic launch, from drone defense to orbit

Headquarters

Designed and built in Alameda, California.

2517 Blanding Ave.
Alameda, CA 94501
info@velodynespace.com