The June 2026 issue of Tech Briefs includes an article about “8 Emerging Space Startups”.

For anyone who has dreamed of starting up a business focusing on space technology, here are eight companies that could give you a blueprint for opportunities.  

Stoke Space was founded in 2019 in Kent, Washington.  They are developing a reusable medium-lift  launch vehicle.  To be reusable requires a rocket that is capable of multiple launches.  To return to Earth for reuse requires a means to cool the vehicle during re-entry as well as a heat shield.  The rocket is designed to allow multiple re-starts while in space, and vertical landings when returning to Earth.  To be competitive, they are designing the vehicle for rapid re-use.

Impulse Space was founded in 2021 in Redondo Beach, California.  The company’s design is intended to reduce delivery times for satellites being moved from Low Earth Orbit (LEO) to Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO). Their goal is to reduce the costs for delivering spacecraft to GEO.  They are currently able to lift more than five tons from LEO to GEO.

Sophia Space was founded in 2023 in Pasadena, California.  The company has a THERMAL-Integrated LEO Leading Edge (TILE) that provides in-space data processing, Artificial Intelligence (AI) acceleration, and computing for satellites, defense systems, and commercial space stations.  

Zeno Power was founded in 2018 in Seattle, Washington.  It specializes radioisotope power systems; i.e., nuclear batteries.  That design allows the batteries to be usable in the cold of lunar night, on Mars, and in deep space and in permanently shadowed regions.  They deliver heat and electricity for temperatures as low as -250 degrees Celsius.  

Xona Space was founded in 2019 in Burlingame, California.  Their goal is to provide signals with enhanced accuracy for navigation in space and for use in Earth.  That is achieved via counting time in nanoseconds (one billionth of a second).  

Interlune was founded in 2020 in Seattle, Washington.  They are focusing on the extraction of Lunar resources – specifically, Helium-3, which is abundant on the Moon and in high demand on Earth.  With their patented technology, they also intend to extract industrial metals, rare Earth elements, and water, to support Lunar colonization.  

Agile Space was founded in 2009 in Durango, Colorado.  They produce space propulsion systems using Hydrazine.  Their rocket engines are constructed using 3D printing.  Their products are intended for use in satellite constellations, lunar missions, and national security programs.  Their customers include Europe’s Nyx reusable space capsule.

Starcloud was founded in 2024 in Redmond, Virginia.  They are building data centers in space.  They launched their first satellite in November 2025, with a second satellite in October 2026.  That satellite will generate 100 times the power of the first satellite, and will generate more cash than it costs to build and launch.  

The diverse goals of these companies clearly shows the breadth of opportunities that are available for those interested in pursuing the commercial development possibilities of space industry.  

These are the first steps being taken beyond simply proving space travel is possible and feasible.  Space travel began 75 years ago.  Now, ground-floor opportunities are available for anyone who will put forth the necessary ingenuity, mental effort, salesmanship, and manufacturing capability to build Humanity’s future in Space.  

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