Private Space Companies

The number of private space companies continues to grow. You can't invest in these privately owned companies by purchasing stock, but there are other ways to become involved.

The private space industry is young, and this is a dynamic and exciting time. These companies range from research non-profits to corporations planning to mine asteroids in near-Earth orbit.

Looking for companies to invest in directly? Visit the public space companies page.

If you want to contribute to the success of the private space companies listed below, make a donation (sometimes tax-deductible), volunteer your time, or lobby Congress for space development legislation such as the Private Space Companies Act.

Some of these companies are actively hiring, so consider applying if you have the qualifications.

Current Private Space Companies (Updated Dec. 2025)

• Astrobotic Technology. (Website) A lunar logistics company providing end-to-end delivery services for payloads to the Moon. They develop lunar landers (Peregrine, Griffin) and rovers. Acquired Masten Space Systems in 2022. Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Established in 2007.

• Axiom Space. (Website) Building the world's first commercial space station. Axiom currently organizes private astronaut missions to the International Space Station (ISS) and is manufacturing modules that will eventually detach from the ISS to form an independent station. Location: Houston, Texas. Established in 2016.

• Blue Origin LLC. (Website) Aerospace manufacturer and spaceflight services company founded by Jeff Bezos. They operate the New Shepard suborbital vehicle for space tourism and are developing the New Glenn heavy-lift orbital rocket and the Blue Moon lunar lander. Locations: Kent, Washington; Cape Canaveral, Florida; Culberson County, Texas. Established in 2000.

• Copenhagen Suborbitals. (Website) The world's only amateur-based, crowd-funded manned space program. This non-profit group aims to launch a human into space on a suborbital trajectory using a home-built rocket and capsule. Location: Copenhagen, Denmark. Established in 2008.

• Firefly Aerospace. (Website) An end-to-end space transportation company. They provide launch services with the Alpha rocket and are developing the Blue Ghost lunar lander for NASA's CLPS program. Location: Cedar Park, Texas. Re-established in 2017.

• Relativity Space. (Website) Revolutionizing aerospace manufacturing by using massive 3D printers to build rockets. They are developing the Terran R, a fully reusable, 3D-printed medium-to-heavy lift launch vehicle. Location: Long Beach, California. Established in 2015.

• Sierra Space. (Website) Spun off from Sierra Nevada Corp in 2021 to become an independent commercial space company. They are building the Dream Chaser spaceplane (to resupply the ISS) and co-developing the Orbital Reef commercial space station. Location: Louisville, Colorado.

• SpaceX. (Website) The world's leading private launch provider. SpaceX operates the Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets, the Dragon spacecraft, and the Starlink satellite constellation. They are currently developing Starship, a fully reusable super-heavy lift launch system intended for Mars colonization. Founder: Elon Musk. Location: Hawthorne, California; Boca Chica, Texas. Established in 2002.

• Stoke Space. (Website) Developing a fully reusable rocket designed to fly daily. They are known for their novel active cooling heat shield technology for rocket second stages. Location: Kent, Washington. Established in 2019.

• United Launch Alliance (ULA). (Website) A joint venture between Lockheed Martin and Boeing. While its parent companies are public, ULA is a private entity that provides launch services for the US government and commercial customers using the Atlas V and Vulcan Centaur rockets. Location: Centennial, Colorado. Formed in 2006.

• Vast. (Website) A pioneer in artificial gravity space stations. Vast plans to launch Haven-1, the world's first commercial space station, on a Falcon 9 rocket. Founder: Jed McCaleb. Location: Long Beach, California. Established in 2021.

• Voyager Space. (Website) A multinational space holding company. Its subsidiaries include Nanoracks (commercial ISS airlocks and hardware) and other space technology firms. They are a partner in the Starlab commercial space station project. Location: Denver, Colorado. Established in 2019.

Historical, Acquired, or No Longer Independent

The following companies were formerly on this list but have been acquired, suspended operations, or taken public.

• Bigelow Aerospace: Suspended operations in 2020.

• Deep Space Industries: Acquired by Bradford Space in 2019.

• Intelsat: Went public, then private, filed for bankruptcy, and acquired by SES (Public) in 2024.

• Masten Space Systems: Acquired by Astrobotic Technology in 2022.

• Moon Express: Status is largely inactive as of 2025.

• Planetary Resources: Assets acquired by ConsenSys in 2018.

• Rocketplane, Ltd.: Liquidated in 2010.

• Scaled Composites: A subsidiary of Northrop Grumman (Public).

• The Spaceship Company: Fully integrated into Virgin Galactic.

• Virgin Galactic: Went public in 2019 (NYSE: SPCE). See the Public Companies page.

• XCOR Aerospace: Filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2017.

Read about a way to make private space development potentially very profitable, without depending on government funding.