The global commercial space race will be shaken up by these 10 startups?

Space has long been the exclusive domain of governments, but in recent years, with the influx of private capital, space investment has exploded, and private companies led by Musk and Bezos are eager to get a piece of the pie.

In this space startup boom, 10 start-ups stand out in particular:

Relativity Space

Relativity Space成功制造并发射了世界上首枚主要部件由3D打印制成的火箭Terran 1。

After six years of research and development, the rocket underwent a launch in 2023 and successfully went into space during the launch, but failed to reach orbit as planned. Subsequently, the company decided to turn to the development of a medium- to heavy-class launch vehicle with reusable main components. The new rocket, named Terran R, is expected to launch for the first time in 2026.

Axiom Space

Axiom CEO Michael Suffredini was a former project manager for the International Space Station at NASA. Now, he is leading Axiom in the construction of a commercial module for the space station, which is the first major step in the construction of a commercial space station.

The company has already sent three crews to the ISS and hopes to launch the first component of its space station in 2026.

In August last year, Axiom raised $350 million in a Series C funding round from backers, including Saudi Arabia's Aljazira Capital.

Sierra Space

Sierra Space是Sierra Nevada Corporation的一个分公司,后者是由土耳其移民亿万富翁Fatih和Eren Ozmen创立的航空航天和国防承包商。

The company's goal is to launch reusable spaceplanes and commercial space stations, among other projects. Last year, the company raised $290 million in its B financing, valuing it at $5.3 billion, backed by Japanese bank Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group and trading company Kanematsu Corp.

ABL Space Systems

Co-founded by former SpaceX employee O'Hanley, ABL focuses on building RS1, a rocket that launches satellites into low-Earth orbit.

The rocket failed 10 seconds after its first flight in January 2023, and ABL plans a second launch this year. To date, ABL has raised more than $500 million in financing.

Astroscale

Astroscale's goal is to recycle end-of-life satellites and broken components to address the growing problem of space debris.

In April, one of the company's specialized spacecraft approached a debris object in space and successfully took a high-resolution photo, marking an important advance in their space debris cleanup technology.

Slingshot Aerospace

Slingshot's goal is to build software to track the satellite's position in space and reduce the risk of collisions.

It has raised more than $82 million in venture capital, and its clients now include SpaceX, OneWeb, NASA and Intelsat.

Lunar Outpost

Lunar Outpost is engaged in space robotics, building rovers and instruments to help humans establish permanent bases on the Moon and Mars.

In 2022, the company's instrument, MOXIE, was aboard the Perseverance rover on Mars to test how future missions could produce oxygen from the Martian atmosphere.

Now, Lunar Outpost is working with the Australian Space Agency (ASA) and NASA to land a rover capable of digging for dirt on the moon, scheduled to launch this year.

This year, it also received a major order from NASA and Lockheed Martin to build a lunar rover capable of transporting astronauts.

Astranis Space Technologies

Astranis, which aims to get a slice of SpaceX's satellite internet business, is targeting individuals and businesses in rural areas for access to high-speed internet.

Unlike Starlink, Astranis places the device in geostationary orbit, providing a continuous signal to a specific area, which achieves greater consistency than its competitors (but with the potential for more delay).

Astranis has raised more than $500 million and has customers in countries such as the United States, the Philippines and Mexico. Its new satellite, Omega, plans to provide high-speed internet at 50 gigaits per second and generate $1.2 billion in revenue for the company. The first Omega satellite is expected to launch in 2026.

Vast

Vast was founded by crypto entrepreneur Jed McCaleb to build a space station equipped with artificial gravity.

McCaleb also provided all the funding for the company, and last year he bought a startup, Launcher, to accelerate the company's growth. It aims to launch the world's first commercial space station into low-Earth orbit by 2025 and scale it exponentially over the next decade.

Impulse Space

Impulse was founded by Tom Mueller, a former SpaceX employee and a core engineer in the company's early rocket development.

Impulse is primarily focused on transporting objects, especially satellites, in space, by creating a type of spacecraft known as a "space tug". The company's first product, Mira, completed its first mission in 2023 for an unnamed customer.

In addition, the company announced plans to develop a larger transport vehicle, Helios, for launching satellites into geostationary orbit. At the same time, Impulse has also formed a joint venture with Relativity Space to jointly develop a Mars lander.

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