The best logistics space startups
16 logistics companies in the directory, ranked by disclosed funding ($2.2B raised between them), spanning 5 countries.
Moving things between orbits, and bringing them back down. Orbital transfer vehicles and tugs, propellant depots, reentry capsules and the servicing craft that dock with satellites already up there. This is the sector turning launch from a destination into just the first leg of the journey.
Quick picks
What are you trying to do?
Impulse Space and Momentus build vehicles that carry satellites to the orbit they need. The Exploration Company, Inversion Space, Atmos Space Cargo and ElevationSpace build capsules that bring cargo back to Earth. Space BD and Nanoracks arrange rides.
- See every oneAll 16 space logistics companies, ranked by disclosed funding
- Find the best fundedMost disclosed funding: Impulse Space, The Exploration Company and Starfish Space
- Catch up on newsLatest: Impulse Space, 7 November 2026
- See who is new1 added in the last 90 days
- Browse by country9 in the US, 3 in Japan, 2 in Germany
- See who shut down or sold2 acquired, 1 dormant
Space logistics companies by status
Updated 7 November 2026 · 25 milestones in the last 90 days · Follow by RSS
State of the sector
As of 9 October 2026
Logistics companies move things once they are in space, and bring them back. Impulse Space and Momentus build vehicles that carry satellites from their launch orbit to where they need to go, and Portal Space Systems is building a spacecraft that can change orbits quickly. The Exploration Company, Inversion Space, Atmos Space Cargo and ElevationSpace build capsules that return cargo to Earth. Space BD and Nanoracks arrange rides for other people's payloads.
In September 2026 ESA hired The Exploration Company to fly its Nyx capsule to the International Space Station with cargo by mid-2029, and the company booked an Ariane 6 for the flight. Its first Nyx demonstrator survived reentry in June 2025 but was lost minutes before splashdown. Impulse Space won more Space Force work in August 2026, for two more Mira vehicles.
Momentus's Vigoride-7 completed its orbit changes in July 2026, and payload testing is under way. ElevationSpace signed an MoU with ispace in 2025 to pursue Japan's first private lunar sample return, for which it would build the reentry capsule. Outlier Space, a New Zealand startup, plans the first flight of its reusable manufacturing capsule for 2028.
Latest milestones
Every dated event from the companies below, newest first, each with its source.
Impulse Space: Wins two task orders for NASA's Moon Base program
Space BD: Signs a contract with Space Quarters to use the i-SEEP platform outside Kibo, the ISS's Japanese module
Starfish Space: Loses contact with Otter 24C a month after launch, ending a NASA in-space inspection mission
Portal Space Systems: Starburst-1 reaches orbit on SpaceX's Bandwagon-5 rideshare and unfurls its solar arrays
The Exploration Company: Announces ONEIROS, a privately funded lunar hopper demonstrator to be tested in the UAE desert in 2027, under an MoU with the UAE space agency
Nanoracks: Parent Voyager Technologies wins a $22.4M Pentagon award to build flight-ready satellite deployers that use spare capacity on national security launchesStarfish Space: Its first full-size Otter launches on SpaceX's Transporter-18 for NASA's SSPICY inspection missionImpulse Space: LEO Express 4 launches on SpaceX's Bandwagon-5 rideshare from Cape Canaveral
Momentus: Vigoride-7 flies in formation with NASA's R5-S10 cubesat, which images it during a proximity operations test
Astroscale: Its UK subsidiary signs a £15M Ministry of Defence contract for Project LEDA to build, launch and operate a spacecraftShow 40 earlier milestones
Impulse Space: Wins a $28M Space Force contract to fly a Mira on a space domain awareness mission in low Earth orbitImpulse Space: Adds a $308M extension to its Series D, taking the round to $808M, and hires its first CFO
ElevationSpace: Signs a rideshare launch contract with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries to fly its second ELS-R spacecraft on an H3
Open Cosmos: Closes a €300M funding round led by Lightrock, ETF Partners and Entrepreneurs FirstAstroscale: Astroscale France joins an Exotrail-led France 2030 mission, to be contracted by CNES, to deorbit a Eutelsat OneWeb satellite in 2029-2030
Inversion Space: NASA awards a contract to study using the Arc vehicle to demonstrate aerocapture in Earth's atmosphereThe Exploration Company: ESA awards a €760M ALADDIN contract for a Nyx cargo demonstration to the ISS by mid-2029, €310M firm and €450M in options for two more missionsThe Exploration Company: Books an Ariane 6 with Arianespace for the Nyx demonstration mission to the ISSThe Exploration Company: Raises a $450M Series C led by Bessemer, Atomico and the Scaleup Europe Fund, taking total funding to about $680MOpen Cosmos: Named an approved provider of satellite connectivity under the UK government's £8bn sovereign communications frameworkAstroscale: Books ADRAS-J2, the JAXA mission to capture a three-tonne rocket stage, on Isar Aerospace's Spectrum for 2027 or 2028Space BD: Starts renting out satellite transport containers certified for air shipment of hazardous goodsPortal Space Systems: Buys a whole SpaceX Falcon 9 for its 2028 Motus Via Sol mission, the first Supernova flight; Maverick sells the spare capacityImpulse Space: Space Force adds $28M to its contract for two more Mira vehicles, for the Victus Salo 2 and 3 responsive-space missions
Atmos Space Cargo: Completes an early design study with ESA's Concurrent Design Facility for PHOENIX 3, a reusable capsule for payloads above 1,000 kgMomentus: Vigoride-7 completes orbit changes with payload testing underway
Outlier Space: Raises a $7.35M pre-seed led by GD1 to build a reusable capsule for microgravity manufacturing; the first flight is planned for 2028Impulse Space: Unveils Electra, its first electric propulsion systemImpulse Space: Wins an NSSL Phase 3 Lane 1 contract from Space Systems Command for its Helios upper stageOpen Cosmos: Launches the first two OpenConstellation 1.0 Earth observation satellitesImpulse Space: The Mira from LEO Express-2 closes to within about 200 metres of the Mira from LEO Express-3, and the two photograph each otherThe Exploration Company: Acquires European Astrotech, a UK propulsion-services firm at Westcott that fuels spacecraft and supports Nyx propulsion workElevationSpace: Closes a $40M Series B, bringing its total raised to $63.5MSpace BD: Series C closes above ¥3.5 billion, total raised ¥6.68 billionSpace BD: Six payloads fly on H3 Flight 6 under its rideshare serviceImpulse Space: Raises a $500M Series D led by 137 Ventures and Banner VC, taking total funding past $1B a year after the Series CStarfish Space: Otter Pup 2 reaches its new docking target and keeps flying close to itMomentus: Closes a $25 million private placementThe Exploration Company: Drops a Nyx test vehicle from 2.8 km over the Mojave; the drogue-to-main parachute handover works as plannedAtmos Space Cargo: Closes a €25.7M Series A co-led by Balnord and Expansion to build a three-vehicle PHOENIX 2 fleet and develop PHOENIX 3Portal Space Systems: Closes a $50M Series A led by Geodesic Capital and Mach33Starfish Space: Closes a Series B of more than $100M led by Point72 Ventures to build Otters for its contracted missionsMomentus: Vigoride-7 launches and deploys its solar arraysPortal Space Systems: Its Mini-Nova mission launches aboard a Momentus Vigoride vehicle to test critical spacecraft systems in orbitAstroscale: ADRAS-J completes its operations and begins its deorbitAstroscale: Its UK arm picks Isar Aerospace to launch ELSA-M, which will capture and remove an end-of-life Eutelsat OneWeb satelliteAtmos Space Cargo: Receives Portugal's first commercial re-entry licence, for PHOENIX 2.1 to return off the AzoresOpen Cosmos: Announces ConnectedCosmos, a LEO constellation for sovereign and secure communicationsStarfish Space: Space Systems Command orders a second Otter for Space Force work in geosynchronous orbit, due for delivery in 2028Astroscale: Its Japanese arm wins a ¥1B Ministry of Defense contract to develop a mechanism for gripping satellites in orbitNew in logistics
All 16 logistics companies
Ranked by disclosed funding.
Impulse Space Space logistics company in the USOrbital transfer vehicles
The Exploration Company Space logistics company in GermanyNyx, the reusable cargo capsule
Starfish Space Space logistics company in the USSatellite servicing with Otter
Astroscale GraduatedSpace logistics company in JapanSpace debris removal
Portal Space Systems Space logistics company in the USSolar-thermal rapid-maneuver spacecraft
ElevationSpace Space logistics company in JapanBringing orbit-made materials home
Inversion Space Space logistics company in the USCargo from orbit in under an hour
Momentus GraduatedSpace logistics company in the USIn-space flights for satellites
Atomos Space AcquiredSpace logistics company in the USIn-space transportation service
Epic Aerospace Space logistics company in the USSpace transportation network
Gateway Galactic DormantSpace logistics company in the USLEO orbital propellant depot
Atmos Space Cargo Space logistics company in GermanyReentry capsules for orbital cargo
Nanoracks AcquiredSpace logistics company in the USPayload deployment services
Open Cosmos Space logistics company in the UKSpace mission services
Outlier Space Space logistics company in New ZealandA reusable capsule for microgravity factories
Space BD Space logistics company in JapanLaunch and ISS brokerage
Questions about space logistics companies
How many logistics space startups are there in 2026?
Space Bandits tracks 16 logistics companies, 11 of them active, with $2.2B in disclosed funding between them.
What is the latest news from logistics startups?
The most recent milestone on record is from Impulse Space, dated 7 November 2026: "Wins two task orders for NASA's Moon Base program."
How many logistics startups have shut down?
None has shut down, but 1 has shown no public activity for years.
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