Getting to space without rockets or explosions?

Is there any way for a large civilization to get objects into space without using rockets or explosions?

I'm considering a planet roughly equivalent to Earth, where (for whatever reason) rockets and explosions don't provide enough thrust to reach escape velocity, so traditional spaceships and a space cannon wouldn't work.

Could a very fast airplane build up enough speed to escape the gravity well? Is it even possible to reach such speeds without using rockets / jet engines or explosions?

I'd like to consider the earliest possible level of technological development for this to be plausible, starting around our current capacities.

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Getting to space without rockets or explosions?

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