The best lunar space startups
5 lunar companies in the directory, ranked by disclosed funding ($135M raised between them), spanning 2 countries.
The Moon has gone from symbol to worksite. Rovers, landers, resource extraction and the infrastructure for a permanent lunar economy, built by startups betting the Artemis era is real.
Updated 9 October 2026 · 4 milestones in the last 90 days · Follow by RSS
State of the sector
As of 9 October 2026
The companies here work on the Moon's surface. Astrolab and Lunar Outpost build rovers, and GITAI builds robots for construction. Helios wants to extract oxygen and metals from lunar soil, and Interlune wants to harvest helium-3.
In May 2026 NASA selected Astrolab and Lunar Outpost to provide the first lunar terrain vehicles for Artemis astronauts. Getting there still depends on landers. ispace's second lander crashed in June 2025, and in June 2026 NASA ordered a second Peregrine lander from Astrobotic.
Latest milestones
Every dated event from the companies below, newest first, each with its source.
Astrolab: Partners with Interstellar Mapping, whose subsurface data will guide where FLIP looks for lunar water
Interlune: Raises $5M through a SAFE, its second $5M SAFE of 2026Interlune: Implants helium into simulated Moon dirt and extracts it with results matching Apollo samples
Lunar Outpost: NASA selects its Starweave robotic swarm software for an Announcement of Collaboration OpportunityInterlune: Its Cold Capture process produces 99% pure helium-3 from ordinary Grade A heliumInterlune: Joins the Astrolab team NASA selected to deliver CLV-1, a crewed rover for the Artemis astronauts' return to the MoonLunar Outpost: NASA selects its Pegasus rover as one of two lunar terrain vehicles for Artemis astronautsLunar Outpost: Closes a $30M Series B led by Industrious VenturesShow 18 earlier milestones
Interlune: NASA awards a $6.9M SBIR Phase III contract to measure gases released by heating lunar soil on the MoonAstrolab: NASA selects Astrolab to provide the lunar rover for Artemis astronauts’ return to the MoonInterlune: Bluefors agrees to buy up to 10,000 litres of lunar helium-3 a year for delivery from 2028 to 2037Interlune: US Department of Energy agrees to buy three litres of lunar helium-3, the first purchase of a non-terrestrial resourceLunar Outpost: MAPP rover reaches the Moon on IM-2 but cannot deploy after the Athena lander tips over; the rover survives and returns transit dataAstrolab: FLIP, its smaller rover, becomes the primary payload on Astrobotic’s Griffin-1 Moon lander
Helios: Signs an MoU with BlueScopeX to trial Helios green iron in steelmakingAstrolab: Wins one of three places on NASA’s $4.6B Lunar Terrain Vehicle contract for ArtemisLunar Outpost: Leads the Lunar Dawn team awarded a NASA Lunar Terrain Vehicle contract for ArtemisInterlune: Comes out of stealth with $18M to harvest lunar helium-3Helios: Selected for DARPA’s LunA-10 lunar architecture study, the only non-US company among fourteenAstrolab: Books its FLEX rover onto a SpaceX Starship lunar lander flight, SpaceX’s first commercial lunar cargo contractHelios: Announces a sodium-based process making iron at 400°C with no direct CO2, taking the lunar tech to steelAstrolab: Emerges from stealth, unveiling FLEX with a full-scale prototype driven in the California desertHelios: Signs with ispace to fly Lunar Extractor oxygen-making payloads on its second and third Moon missionsAll 5 lunar companies
Ranked by disclosed funding.
How many lunar space startups are there in 2026?
Space Bandits tracks 5 lunar companies, 5 of them active, with $135M in disclosed funding between them.
What is the latest news from lunar startups?
The most recent milestone on record is from Astrolab, dated 23 September 2026: "Partners with Interstellar Mapping, whose subsurface data will guide where FLIP looks for lunar water."
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