How many total Space Economy companies are there in United States?

As of October 2026, United States has 90 active Space Economy companies.

How many Space Economy companies in United States are funded?

As of October 2026, 43 companies have received funding in this sector.

What is the total funding raised by Space Economy companies in United States?

Space Economy companies in United States have collectively raised $2.67B in funding till date.

Which is the highest funded Space Economy company in United States?

As of October 2026, Axiom Space has raised $1B in funding, highest among the funded Space Economy companies in United States.

How many Space Economy unicorns are there in United States?

United States has produced 3 unicorns in the Space Economy sector till date.

List of 101 Space Economy Startups in United States & Market Trends (Oct 2026)

Q: Who are the top investors in Space Economy companies in United States?

The top investors in Space Economy companies in United States by number of investments are NASA and Type One Ventures.

The Space Economy sector in United States comprises 101 companies, including 43 funded companies having collectively raised $2.67B in venture capital money and private equity. Out of these, 21 are Series A+ funded, and 3 have achieved unicorn status.

Space Economy sector in United States has seen 7 acquisitions and 2 IPOs. This represents almost 8.9% of all such companies - which is higher than the 4.0% exit rate of tech companies in general.

This sector includes the space economy refers to the entire set of activities and resources that provide value and benefits for humans while exploring and utilizing space.

Space Economy sector is also known as Space Economy Solutions, Advanced Space Economy or Digital Space Economy.

The space economy includes activities like satellite services, space tourism, space robotics, asteroid mining, in-orbit servicing, space debris detection, research and development, and manufacturing for space exploration. Companies involved in manufacturing and services for aerospace and aviation are excluded.

Key Metrics

Total Companies

101

Top Companies

Axiom Space, Lunar Outpost & more

Total Funding

$2.67B

Funded Companies

Series A+ Companies

Series C+ Companies

Unicorns Created

IPOs

Acquisitions

Also known as

Space Economy Solutions or Advanced Space Economy

View complete details of this sector

There are 101 Space Economy startups in United States which include Axiom Space, Lunar Outpost, Starfish Space, Astrobotic, Vast. Out of these, 43 startups are funded, with 21 having secured Series A+ funding, and 3 achieving unicorn status.

2026 has seen the creation of 1 Space Economy startup in United States. Over the past 10 years, an average of 5 new companies have been launched annually. Notably, several of these startups have been founded by alumni of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Columbia University and Harvard University.

1. Axiom Space

Developer of commercial space stations for habitation. Its space stations can host microgravity experiments and space-environment materials testing. It is also developing a thruster that can be installed on a mobile propulsion test stand. It also caters to government astronauts, tourists, private companies, and individuals for research, manufacturing, space exploration system testing and tourism.

Key facts about Axiom Space

Founded Year: 2016
Location: Houston (United States)
Stage: Series D
Total Funding till date: $1B
Investors: Qatar Investment Authority, C5 Capital and 39 Others
Latest Funding Round: Series D, Jun 05, 2026, $*****
Tracxn Score: 64/100 What is this?
Competitors Rank: 1 of 20 Competitors

2. Lunar Outpost

Developer of robotic systems and infrastructure for planetary surface operations. The company builds robotic infrastructure intended for future exploration and commercial activities. It offers robotic platforms designed for mobility and resource utilization. These systems are engineered to operate in harsh environments. The company focuses on enabling sustainable access to planetary surfaces.

Key facts about Lunar Outpost

Founded Year: 2017
Location: Golden (United States)
Stage: Series B
Total Funding till date: $55.8M
Investors: Industrious Ventures, Type One Ventures and 8 Others
Latest Funding Round: Series B, Apr 29, 2026, $*****
Tracxn Score: 64/100 What is this?
Competitors Rank: 1 of 20 Competitors

View full list of companies in this sector

3. Starfish Space

Developer of autonomous spacecraft for on-orbit satellite servicing and life extension. The company focuses on creating smaller, less expensive vehicles for docking with satellites using electric propulsion. Its initial services include extending satellite lifespan and facilitating responsible disposal. The company is actively engaged in validating its technology through on-orbit missions.

Key facts about Starfish Space

Founded Year: 2019
Location: Tukwila (United States)
Stage: Series B
Total Funding till date: $162M
Investors: Shield Capital, MaC Venture Capital and 23 Others
Latest Funding Round: Series B, Mar 24, 2026, $*****
Tracxn Score: 64/100 What is this?
Competitors Rank: 3 of 19 Competitors

4. Astrobotic

Developer of landers, rovers, lunar surface power, and space robotics. They offer technology for advancing space exploration. The company provides reusable rocket landers for payload testing and validation. They also design lunar vehicles with standardized sizes for instruments and experiments.

Key facts about Astrobotic

Founded Year: 2007
Location: Pittsburgh (United States)
Stage: Acquired
Total Funding till date: $2.65M
Investors: Space Capital, NewSpace and 2 Others
Latest Funding Round: Grant (prize money), Sep 29, 2025, $*****
Tracxn Score: 62/100 What is this?
Competitors Rank: 3 of 46 Competitors

5. Vast

Developer of commercial space stations designed for long-term space habitation. The company is focused on building space stations and advancing technologies for living and working in space. It develops hardware and systems for space station modules, including primary structures, solar arrays, and environmental control systems. The company aims to provide platforms for government astronaut missions, private astronaut missions, and payload missions.

Key facts about Vast

Founded Year: 2021
Location: Long Beach (United States)
Stage: Series A
Total Funding till date: $1B
Investors: Balerion Space Ventures, Earthrise and 8 Others
Latest Funding Round: Conventional Debt, Mar 05, 2026, $*****
Tracxn Score: 59/100 What is this?
Competitors Rank: 2 of 20 Competitors

Access the full list of 101 Space Economy Startups in United States

Companies founded year-on-year in the Space Economy sector in United States

1 new startup has been founded so far in 2026 in the Space Economy sector in United States. 10 Space Economy startups in United States were founded in 2021 - this is the most number of startups founded in any year in the last 10 years.

Total Number of Companies

Year	No. of companies
2026	1
2025	1
2024	6
2023	7
2022	7
2021	10
2020	6
2019	6
2018	9
2017	6

Stage-wise distribution of Space Economy sector companies in United States

Out of the total 101 Space Economy companies in United States, 43 have secured funding. Among them, 21 have reached Series A or higher, and 14 to Series B or beyond.

Founded - 101

Funded - 43

Series A+ - 21

Series B+ - 14

Series C+ - 11

Company Stage	No. of companies
Founded	101
Funded	43
Series A+	21
Series B+	14
Series C+	11

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Total funding year-on-year in the Space Economy sector in United States

The Space Economy sector in United States saw a total funding of more than $2.49B in the last 10 years. The most amount of funding has been in 2026 at more than $1.21B till date.

Total Funding

Year	Total Funding
2026	$1.21B
2025	$24.3M
2024	$92.7M
2023	$413M
2022	$481M
2021	$192M
2020	$8.63M
2019	$50.5M
2018	$11.8M
2017	$2.12M

Recent Funding Rounds in Space Economy in United States

In the year 2026, till June 2026, Space Economy companies in United States have raised $1.01B in equity funding across 9 rounds. In the same period last year (i.e. till March 2025), Space Economy companies in United States had raised $8.41M across 4 rounds. So, 2026 has seen a 11922.53% rise in funding in Space Economy companies in United States as compared to 2025.

Here are some recent, important funding rounds in Space Economy companies in United States:

Company	Round Raised	Amount Raised	Funding Date	Investors
Axiom Space	Series D	6404	Jun 05, 2026	MUFG
Lunar Outpost	Series B	1689	Apr 29, 2026	Industrious Ventures and 4 more
Citra	Series A	6588	Apr 13, 2026	Washington Harbour Partners and 6 more
Starfish Space	Series B	6306	Mar 24, 2026	Point72 Ventures and 10 more
Orbit Fab	Series B	1876	Mar 16, 2026	Stride

See a more detailed list of funding rounds

NASA is the top investor in Space Economy companies in United States based on number of companies invested.

Here are some top investors in Space Economy companies in United States:

Investor	Location	Top Portfolio Companies
NASA	United States	Starfish Space, Astrobotic, Honeybee Robotics and AI SpaceFactory
Type One Ventures	Los Angeles (United States)	Axiom Space, Lunar Outpost, Orbit Fab and Argo
Industrious Ventures	Denver (United States)	Lunar Outpost, Starfish Space, Orbit Fab and Citra
SpaceFund	Houston (United States)	Axiom Space, Space Perspective, Deep Space Industries and Altius Space Machines
Alumni Ventures	New York City (United States)	Axiom Space, Citra and Spaceium

See a more detailed list of investors

In the year 2026, till June 2026, 2 acquisitions happened in Space Economy sector in United States. Last year, in 2025, a total of 1 acquisition happened in Space Economy sector in United States.

Here are some recent, important acquisitions in Space Economy sector in United States:

Company	Acquisition Type	Acquisition Date	Acquirers
Astrobotic	Business Acquisition	Jun 04, 2026	Voyager Space
Motiv Space Systems	Business Acquisition	May 08, 2026	Rocket Lab
Atomos	Business Acquisition	Apr 24, 2025	Katalyst Space Technologies
Honeybee Robotics	Business Acquisition	Jan 25, 2022	Blue Origin
Altius Space Machines	Business Acquisition	Oct 23, 2019	Voyager Space Holdings

See a more detailed list of acquisitions

Acquisition trends in Space Economy sector in United States

Here are the acquisition trends in Space Economy sector in United States:

Total Number of Acquisitions

Year	No. of companies
2026	2
2025	1
2024	-
2023	-
2022	1
2021	-
2020	-
2019	2
2018	1
2017	1

In the year 2022, till August 2022, 2 IPOs happened in Space Economy sector in United States.

Here are some recent, important IPOs in Space Economy sector in United States:

Company	IPO Date	Exchange Symbol
Virgin Galactic	Aug 04, 2022	Euronext Exchange (Euronext)
Virgin Galactic	Jan 14, 2022	Frankfurt Stock Exchange (FRA)
Momentus Space	Aug 14, 2020	National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations (NASDAQ)
Virgin Galactic	Sep 29, 2017	New York Stock Exchange (NYSE)

See a more detailed list of IPOs

Companies founded by alumni from top colleges in the Space Economy in United States

Most number of Space Economy startups in United States have been founded by alumni from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Columbia University and Harvard University.

College	No. of companies
Massachusetts Institute of Technology	6
Columbia University	2
Harvard University	2
Stanford University	2
Carnegie Mellon University	1
IIT Guwahati	1
London School of Economics and Political Science	1
NYU Stern School of Business	1
The University of Melbourne	1
University of California (Los Angeles)	1

Total funding in Space Economy companies founded by alumni from top colleges in United States

In the last 10 years, Stanford University graduates' Space Economy companies in United States have raised the most funding among top colleges. Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumni are second, and Harvard University alumni are third.

College	Total Funding
Stanford University	$164M
Massachusetts Institute of Technology	$128M
Harvard University	$64M
The University of Melbourne	$55.8M
Carnegie Mellon University	$8.19M
London School of Economics and Political Science	$5M
NYU Stern School of Business	$5M
Columbia University	-
IIT Guwahati	-
University of California (Los Angeles)	-