The best propulsion space startups
27 propulsion companies in the directory, ranked by disclosed funding ($3.9B raised between them), spanning 9 countries.
The companies building the engines: from staged-combustion rocket motors to iodine-fueled electric thrusters the size of a shoebox. Every other category in this directory moves because of this one.
Quick picks
What are you trying to do?
Some of these companies build rocket engines, such as Ursa Major Technologies and Jiuzhou Yunjian. Others build the small thrusters that move satellites once they are up, such as Enpulsion, ThrustMe and Pale Blue.
- See every oneAll 27 propulsion companies, ranked by disclosed funding
- Find the best fundedMost disclosed funding: Stoke Space, Impulse Space and Reaction Engines
- Catch up on newsLatest: Impulse Space, 7 November 2026
- See who is new7 added in the last 90 days
- Browse by country9 in the US, 4 in India, 3 in the UK
- See who shut down or sold1 shut down, 3 acquired, 2 dormant
Propulsion companies by status
Updated 7 November 2026 · 33 milestones in the last 90 days · Follow by RSS
State of the sector
As of 9 October 2026
Propulsion covers two businesses. Some companies build the engines that get rockets off the ground: Ursa Major Technologies and Jiuzhou Yunjian sell theirs to other rocket builders, and launch developers such as Stoke Space and Isar Aerospace make their own. Others build the small thrusters that move satellites once they are up, like Enpulsion, ThrustMe, Morpheus Space, Pale Blue and Magdrive.
Small thrusters are now made in volume. ThrustMe passed 100 systems in orbit in June 2025, and in April 2026 it won contracts to equip 40 Japanese Earth observation satellites. Ursa Major Technologies agreed in August 2026 to go public by merging with a blank-check company. Magdrive's first orbital demonstration generated plasma but never moved its spacecraft.
Reaction Engines worked on SABRE for 35 years. The engine was meant to take aircraft from a standing start to hypersonic flight. The company went into administration in October 2024, and in June 2026 an undisclosed buyer paid £884,000 for its intellectual property. Phase Four was split up in 2025, and its thruster lines went to Apex and Quantum Space.
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
Stoke Space: Gets right of entry from Space Launch Delta 45 to survey land north of its SLC-14 launch site
Portal Space Systems: Starburst-1 reaches orbit on SpaceX's Bandwagon-5 rideshare and unfurls its solar arrays
Enpulsion: Signs a €4.4M ESA GSTP contract to develop its next generation of FEEP thrusters
Skyroot Aerospace: Wins two dedicated launches from Reflect Orbital, one on Vikram-1 and one on the larger Vikram-1U
Pale Blue: Wins additional SBIR Phase 3 funding from Japan's science ministry for its in-orbit demonstration
Rocket Factory Augsburg: Names Alexander Dahm CEO, succeeding Indulis Kalnins
Ursa Major Technologies: US Navy awards two contracts worth $137M to develop solid rocket motors for the Compact Air-to-Air Missile and the Naval Modular MissileImpulse Space: LEO Express 4 launches on SpaceX's Bandwagon-5 rideshare from Cape Canaveral
Interstellar Technologies: Japan's science ministry allocates an extra ¥3.93B to the ZERO rocket under the SBIR Phase 3 fundShow 40 earlier milestones
Manastu Space: Receives a ₹116 crore commitment in optionally convertible debentures from India's Technology Development BoardImpulse Space: Wins a $28M Space Force contract to fly a Mira on a space domain awareness mission in low Earth orbitRocket Factory Augsburg: Receives €2.7M more under ESA's Boost! programme, funded by the UK Space Agency, for its SaxaVord ground segment and hot-fire test stands
Isar Aerospace: Co-founder Josef Fleischmann hands over his operational role to found Bavaria Instruments, and Can Araz becomes CTOImpulse Space: Adds a $308M extension to its Series D, taking the round to $808M, and hires its first CFO
ThrustMe: GomSpace fits about 40 ThrustMe propulsion systems to satellites in production; the first is due to launch in October 2026Isar Aerospace: SEOPS books five dedicated Spectrum launches for 2028 to 2030 from Andøya and Nova Scotia
NewOrbit Space: Books a launch for NEO-1 in the third quarter of 2028 through the broker RIDE!, with Genesia as its first announced payload customerThrustMe: Delivers its JPT150, billed as the first iodine-fuelled Hall thruster, to Reflex Aerospace to power MarbleSat-1Stoke Space: Raises a $1B first close of a Series E led by Point72 Ventures and Spark Capital, taking total funding to $2.3B; Nova's debut is now early 2027Isar Aerospace: Spectrum reaches orbit on its second flight, the first orbital launch from Western European soil, and releases five cubesats and a DLR experimentIsar Aerospace: Signs a launch contract with Astroscale Japan to fly the ADRAS-J2 debris-removal mission on Spectrum from Andøya in 2027 or 2028NewOrbit Space: Builds six engineering models of the latest AURA and starts qualification testing, due to finish in the first quarter of 2027
Agnikul Cosmos: India's Technology Development Board agrees to provide ₹200 crore, in convertible debentures, toward a reusable Agnibaan
Bellatrix Aerospace: Unveils its GNR-series star tracker at Bengaluru Space Expo 2026Isar Aerospace: ESA awards a €197.8M European Launcher Challenge contract for Spectrum flights through 2030 and vehicle upgradesRocket Factory Augsburg: ESA awards a €186.9M European Launcher Challenge contract for RFA ONE flights through 2030 and vehicle upgradesThrustMe: Passes 500 propulsion systems delivered and 242 launched, flying in more than 25 constellationsUrsa Major Technologies: Agrees to go public by merging with Bleichroeder Acquisition Corp. III at about $2.3B post-money; at least $350M of PIPE capital is committed and closing is expected in early 2027
Letara: Raises ¥2.6B (about $16M) led by Headline Asia, JIC Venture Growth Investments and Incubate Fund, ahead of an in-orbit firing testPortal Space Systems: Buys a whole SpaceX Falcon 9 for its 2028 Motus Via Sol mission, the first Supernova flight; Maverick sells the spare capacityEnpulsion: Acquires Lift Me Off LtdImpulse Space: Space Force adds $28M to its contract for two more Mira vehicles, for the Victus Salo 2 and 3 responsive-space missionsImpulse Space: Unveils Electra, its first electric propulsion systemRocket Factory Augsburg: Tank problem forces a destack, cancelling the launch windowSkyroot Aerospace: Vikram-1 reaches orbit on its first flight, the first orbital launch by a private Indian companyUrsa Major Technologies: US Navy awards $10 million to develop the MK 104 solid motorImpulse Space: Wins an NSSL Phase 3 Lane 1 contract from Space Systems Command for its Helios upper stageImpulse 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 otherIsar Aerospace: Signs a €270M Series D to expand worldwide and ramp up serial production of SpectrumNewOrbit Space: Raises an $18.5M Series A led by Voyager VenturesImpulse Space: Raises a $500M Series D led by 137 Ventures and Banner VC, taking total funding past $1B a year after the Series C
Reaction Engines: An undisclosed buyer completes an £884,000 purchase of the IPStoke Space: Completes Nova first-stage structural verification ahead of the rocket’s debutNewOrbit Space: Wins a €400,000 ESA GSTP contract to bring AURA to launch readinessSkyroot Aerospace: Raises $60M at a $1.1B valuation, becoming India's first space tech unicornAgnikul Cosmos: Test-fires four Agnilet engines together as a cluster, a step toward the orbital Agnibaan
Latitude: Fires its complete Navier engine, turbopump included, twice for about 15 seconds at VatryPale Blue: Its water ion thruster and water resistojet both operate in orbit on JAXA's RAISE-4Portal Space Systems: Closes a $50M Series A led by Geodesic Capital and Mach33New in propulsion
NewOrbit Space Space propulsion company in the UKSatellites for very low Earth orbit
Skyroot Aerospace Rocket propulsion company in IndiaIndia's first private rocket to orbit
Agnikul Cosmos Rocket propulsion company in IndiaRockets on single-piece 3D-printed engines
Bellatrix Aerospace Electric propulsion company in IndiaElectric and green thrusters for satellites
Manastu Space Satellite propulsion company in IndiaGreen-propellant thrusters for satellites
Letara Rocket propulsion company in JapanRocket engines that burn plastic
Jiuzhou Yunjian Rocket propulsion company in ChinaMethalox engines for everyone's rockets
All 27 propulsion companies
Ranked by disclosed funding.
Stoke Space Rocket propulsion company in the USThe fully reusable Nova rocket
Impulse Space Space propulsion company in the USOrbital transfer vehicles
Reaction Engines Shut downRocket propulsion company in the UKAir-breathing rocket engines
Skyroot Aerospace Rocket propulsion company in IndiaIndia's first private rocket to orbit
Portal Space Systems Space propulsion company in the USSolar-thermal rapid-maneuver spacecraft
Agnikul Cosmos Rocket propulsion company in IndiaRockets on single-piece 3D-printed engines
Latitude Rocket propulsion company in FranceZephyr, the dedicated small launcher
Bellatrix Aerospace Electric propulsion company in IndiaElectric and green thrusters for satellites
Magdrive Space propulsion company in the UKMetal-fueled plasma propulsion
Manastu Space Satellite propulsion company in IndiaGreen-propellant thrusters for satellites
Applied Ion Systems LLC Electric propulsion company in the USLow cost electric propulsion systems
Accion Systems AcquiredSatellite propulsion company in the USSatellite propulsion
Additive Rocket Corporation DormantRocket propulsion company in the US3D printing rocket engines
Enpulsion Satellite propulsion company in AustriaAdvanced propulsion systems for small sats
Interstellar Technologies Rocket propulsion company in JapanZERO, the biomethane launcher
Isar Aerospace Rocket propulsion company in GermanySpectrum, Europe’s private orbital rocket
Jiuzhou Yunjian Rocket propulsion company in ChinaMethalox engines for everyone's rockets
Letara Rocket propulsion company in JapanRocket engines that burn plastic
Miles Space AcquiredSpace propulsion company in the USPropulsion and space communications
Morpheus Space Electric propulsion company in GermanyAgile electric propulsion
NewOrbit Space Space propulsion company in the UKSatellites for very low Earth orbit
NewRocket DormantRocket propulsion company in IsraelEco-friendly rocket engines
Pale Blue Satellite propulsion company in JapanWater-fuelled satellite propulsion
Phase Four AcquiredElectric propulsion company in the USCompact electric propulsion for space
Rocket Factory Augsburg Rocket propulsion company in GermanySmall rockets, automotive-style production
ThrustMe Electric propulsion company in FranceIodine electric propulsion
Ursa Major Technologies Rocket propulsion company in the USEngines for small satellites
Questions about propulsion companies
How many propulsion space startups are there in 2026?
Space Bandits tracks 27 propulsion companies, 21 of them active, with $3.9B in disclosed funding between them.
What is the latest news from propulsion 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 propulsion startups have shut down?
1 of the 27 have shut down, and 2 more have shown no public activity for years. The graveyard records how each one ended.
Follow propulsion startups
Founder interviews and the most promising space startups, straight to your inbox. Free, no spam, unsubscribe anytime.