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Executive Summary: Space Technology Market Outlook 2026

  • Industry Growth Overview: The spacetech industry expands at a steady but moderate pace, with a yearly growth rate of 0.86%.
  • Manpower & Employment Growth: More than 4.9 million people work in this sector. In the last year, it added more than 1.4K new employees.
  • Patents: About 850.3K patents are filed by around 205K applicants. With a yearly patent growth rate of 3.30%, the spacetech industry shows positive innovation momentum, led by China and the USA.
  • Global Footprint: The USA, India, the UK, Germany, and Canada lead at the country level, while London, Bangalore, New York City, San Francisco, and Los Angeles emerge as key city centers for innovation, investment, and commercialization.
  • Investment Landscape: The average investment value per round in this sector is about USD 72.3 million. The industry includes more than 17 755 investors, 21.1K funding rounds, and over 6395 funded companies.
  • Top Investors: The top investors in the spacetech industry invested more than USD 26.1 billion collectively. Leading contributors include the European Investment Bank, BlackRock, and Airtel.
  • Startup Ecosystem: Five innovative startups include LUNR (multi-stage launch vehicles), CORAC Engineering (cyber-resilient satellite communication systems), Dashagriv Aerospace (high-altitude platform systems), TesArc Space (electromagnetic AI tracking systems), and DLABSPACE (blockchain-based space security platforms).

 

 

Methodology: How we created this SpaceTech Report

This report is based on proprietary data from our AI-powered StartUs Insights Discovery Platform, which tracks 9 million global companies, 20K+ technologies and trends, as well as 150M patents, news articles, and market reports.

This data includes detailed firmographic insights into approximately 9 million startups, scaleups, and tech companies. Leveraging this exhaustive database, we provide actionable insights for startup scouting, trend discovery, and technology landscaping.

For this report, we focused on the evolution of spacetech over the past 5 years, utilizing our platform’s trend intelligence feature. Key data points analyzed include:

  • Total Companies working in the sector
  • News Coverage and Annual Growth
  • Market Maturity and Patents
  • Global Search Volume & Growth
  • Funding Activity and Top Countries
  • Subtrends within the spacetech sector

Our data is refreshed regularly, enabling trend comparisons for deeper insights into their relative impact and importance.

Additionally, we reviewed trusted external resources to supplement our findings with broader market data and predictions, ensuring a reliable and comprehensive overview of the spacetech market.

What Data is used to create this SpaceTech Market Report?

Based on data provided by the StartUs Insights Discovery Platform, we observe that the spacetech market stands out in the following categories relative to the 20K+ technologies and trends we track.

These categories provide a comprehensive overview of the market’s key metrics and inform the future direction of the market.

  • News Coverage & Publications: The spacetech industry was mentioned in more than 4195 publications in the last year.
  • Funding Rounds: The sector recorded about 21.1K funding rounds.
  • Manpower: It employs over 4.9 million people globally, while adding more than 1.4K new employees in the last year.
  • Patents: The industry also holds about 850.3K patents.
  • Yearly Global Search Growth: Digital interest in spacetech is increasing, with 92.86% year-over-year global search growth.

Explore the Data-driven SpaceTech Market Report for 2026

The spacetech industry spans launch services, satellite manufacturing, downstream data applications, and supporting technologies. Our database tracks 51 700 companies active across the sector, including 4190+ startups.

From a growth perspective, the industry recorded a yearly growth rate of 0.86% to indicate steady but moderate expansion. This reflects a market transitioning from government-led programs toward broader commercial deployment. However, it remains constrained by long development timelines, high capital requirements, and regulatory complexity.

Companies in the sector hold approximately 850.3K patents and support a global workforce of around 4.9 million people. In the past year, the industry added more than 1.4K new employees.

Geographically, activity is concentrated in country hubs like the USA, India, the UK, Germany, and Canada. At the city level, London, Bangalore, New York City, San Francisco, and Los Angeles emerge as key centers for spacetech innovation, investment, and commercialization.

A Snapshot of the Global SpaceTech Market

The spacetech market size is expected to increase from USD 512.08 billion in 2025 to USD 1.01 trillion by 2034 at a CAGR of 7.86%.

 

 

It expands at a measured but stable pace at a yearly industry growth rate of 0.86%. This moderate growth reflects the sector’s long development cycles, high capital requirements, and strong dependence on government programs and large-scale commercial deployments.

The sector includes 4190+ startups and highlights ongoing innovation across launch systems, small satellites, Earth observation, in-orbit services, and downstream analytics. Startups aid in driving cost reduction, modularization, and faster development timelines within an otherwise incumbent-heavy industry.

About 205K applicants filed for more than 850.3K patents, with a yearly patent growth rate of 3.30%. China leads with 260 185+ patents, followed by the USA with 186 180+ patents.

Explore the Funding Landscape of the SpaceTech Market

The average investment value per funding round in the sector stands at about USD 72.3 million. It includes late-stage venture rounds, project financing, and strategic corporate investments.

 

Credit: Deloitte

 

Private investment grew quickly, then declined in 2022 after some investments underperformed. However, it rose again in 2023 to about USD 12.5 billion, still below earlier peaks.

However, the industry attracts a broad and diverse investor base, with more than 17 755 investors participating across the ecosystem. Over 21.1K funding rounds have been closed and supported over 6395 companies.

Who is Investing in the SpaceTech Market?

The combined value invested by top investors exceeds USD 26.1 billion, showing concentrated capital deployment across major spacetech innovators.

Top SpaceTech Innovations & Trends

Discover the emerging trends in the spacetech market along with their firmographic details:

Satellite Monitoring

The satellite monitoring segment comprises 605+ companies employing approximately 35 800 people worldwide. It added 10+ new employees in the last year.

With an annual growth rate of 3.16%, the segment is expected to expand steadily, driven by demand for Earth observation, climate monitoring, agriculture analytics, disaster response, and infrastructure surveillance.

Space Robotics

The space robotics domain includes 309+ companies with a combined workforce of approximately 8500 employees. Over the past year, 10 new employees were added, indicating early-stage scaling and a focus on specialized engineering capabilities.

The annual growth rate of 10.41% highlights momentum via applications such as in-orbit servicing, satellite assembly, debris removal, and autonomous exploration. Moreover, space robotics is an enabling technology for long-duration missions and sustainable space operations to commercialize long-term space infrastructure.

Reusable Rockets

Reusable rockets focus on launch cost reduction and operational efficiency. The segment comprises 135+ companies employing approximately 31 100 people. It added 10+ new employees in the last year.

With an annual growth rate of 9.18%, reusable rockets gain traction as launch providers seek to increase flight cadence and reduce per-launch costs. This domain highlights the economics of satellite constellations and space missions.

5 Top Examples from 4190+ Innovative Spacetech Startups

The five innovative spacetech startups showcased below are picked based on data, including the trend they operate within and their relevance, founding year, funding status, and more. Book a demo to find promising startups, emerging trends, or industry data specific to your company’s needs and objectives.

LUNR – Multi-Stage Launch Vehicle

Canadian startup LUNR develops an orbital launch vehicle to deliver payloads to low Earth orbit (LEO) and sun synchronous orbit (SSO). Its LUNR-01 multi-stage launch system integrates an in-house rocket engine, a lightweight 18-meter composite and alloy structure, and mission-optimized staging to support reliable orbital insertion.

The vehicle architecture supports flexible payload delivery while incorporating AI and machine learning algorithms to enhance guidance, performance analysis, and operational efficiency.

CORAC Engineering – Cyber-resilient Satellite Communication

Czech startup CORAC Engineering offers satellite operations solutions that protect space missions via encryption, key management, and cyber-risk governance. It provides security components, including the CORAC Encryption Processing Unit (EPU) and CORAC KeyMaster. They integrate into satellite onboard computers, payloads, and ground systems to secure telemetry, telecommand, software update, and multimedia downlink channels.

The EPU delivers encryption and authentication at the space segment level, while CORAC KeyMaster acts as a cryptographic API. They automate key lifecycle management, security orchestration, and policy enforcement across single-tenant and multi-tenant satellite missions.

Thus, CORAC Engineering enables space agencies, governments, and commercial operators to deploy resilient, compliant, and cyber-secure satellite infrastructure without complex security frameworks.

Dashagriv Aerospace – High-Altitude Platform Systems (HAPS)

Indian startup Dashagriv Aerospace builds high-altitude platform systems that provide persistent near-space access through stratospheric flight platforms. Its autonomous HAPS vehicles operate in the stratosphere using advanced power systems, onboard AI-driven autonomy, and real-time edge computing to manage flight operations, data processing, and mission execution.

The systems support multi-mission payloads for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, telecommunications, and environmental monitoring. In addition, Dashagriv integrates predictive analytics and real-time decision-making.

TesArc Space – Electromagnetic Tracking System

US-based startup TesArc Space provides a space-based electromagnetic tracking system. It detects and tracks electronic devices globally from geostationary orbit using their natural electromagnetic fingerprints.

The system deploys satellites equipped with ultra-sensitive photonic and quantum electromagnetic sensor arrays. These sensors passively capture device-specific electromagnetic signatures and transmit the data to onboard AI-driven command modules for real-time processing, geolocation, and identification.

Further, it operates continuously from geostationary Earth orbit. This provides persistent global coverage without additional hardware, chips, or modifications on the tracked devices.

High-speed optical and radio frequency (RF) communication modules also enable secure, low-latency data transfer to ground stations. Durable multi-layer solar arrays support long-term, uninterrupted operations.

DLABSPACE – Blockchain Security Platform

Hungarian startup DLABSPACE builds blockchain-based security platforms for satellite communications and space infrastructure. Its distributed ledger technology with quantum-resistant cryptography secures satellite data exchange, command-and-control processes, and inter-agency coordination across orbital operations.

The startup’s Fortress platform records communications and transactions on a decentralized ledger, removes single points of failure through distributed consensus, and maintains immutable audit trails for regulatory compliance and mission analysis.

The platform also integrates with existing space systems to support autonomous satellite operations, ensure data integrity during ground station outages, and protect against current and future quantum threats.

Gain Comprehensive Insights into SpaceTech Trends, Startups, and Technologies

The spacetech sector spans launch services, satellite manufacturing, and downstream data applications, with legacy aerospace firms and venture-backed startups contributing to market expansion. Indicators across patents, workforce growth, and funding highlight a transition from experimental missions to commercially driven, scalable space infrastructure.

As access to space broadens across governments and industries, participants within space value chains will increasingly shape connectivity, earth intelligence, and the governance of orbital environments.

Get in touch to explore 4190+ startups and scaleups, as well as all market trends impacting spacetech companies.