The best space resources & mining space startups
8 space resources & mining companies in the directory, ranked by disclosed funding ($75.1M raised between them), spanning 4 countries.
Using what is already up there rather than launching it: asteroid metals, lunar water and regolith, propellant depots and in-situ construction. The longest-horizon bet in the industry, and the one that makes everything else cheaper if it works.
Updated 9 October 2026 · 4 milestones in the last 90 days · Follow by RSS
State of the sector
As of 9 October 2026
AstroForge prospects metal asteroids for platinum-group metals. Karman+ wants to process asteroid material in space and use it to refuel spacecraft. Interlune plans to harvest helium-3 from lunar soil, and Origin Space builds telescopes to prospect asteroids from orbit.
AstroForge finished its DeepSpace-2 spacecraft in June 2026, to ride with Intuitive Machines' IM-3 lunar lander. Interlune produced 99% pure helium-3 from commercial helium on Earth in July 2026, and NASA has hired it to build a payload that would extract gases from lunar soil.
RedWorks started by designing printers that build habitats from Martian soil, and now sells industrial 3D printers for construction on Earth.
Latest milestones
Every dated event from the companies below, newest first, each with its source.
AstroForge: Reveals Solo, an in-house AI model that will run its spacecraft, ahead of a NASA-backed autonomy mission in 2027
Karman+: Open-sources Prospector, its mission-design tool, under the Apache-2.0 licence
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 samplesKarman+: Picks asteroid Apophis as the target of its first missionInterlune: Its Cold Capture process produces 99% pure helium-3 from ordinary Grade A heliumAstroForge: Completes the DeepSpace-2 spacecraft, 200 kg with a 50 kg payload, to ride the Falcon 9 carrying Intuitive Machines' IM-3 lander before the end of 2026Interlune: Joins the Astrolab team NASA selected to deliver CLV-1, a crewed rover for the Artemis astronauts' return to the MoonInterlune: NASA awards a $6.9M SBIR Phase III contract to measure gases released by heating lunar soil on the Moon
Maana Electric: Spins off Kore Metals, backed by InnoEnergy, to make high-purity silicon on EarthShow 22 earlier milestones
Maana Electric: Its LuMA system is tested in the LUNA facility in Cologne during the second ESA/ESRIC Space Resources ChallengeInterlune: Bluefors agrees to buy up to 10,000 litres of lunar helium-3 a year for delivery from 2028 to 2037
Gateway Galactic: Its fuel-depot patent lapses after the maintenance fee goes unpaid
RedWorks: Partners with EXO5D to sell industrial 3D printers in the USInterlune: US Department of Energy agrees to buy three litres of lunar helium-3, the first purchase of a non-terrestrial resourceMaana Electric: ESA selects it and Etex to develop lightweight high-temperature insulation for fuel cells and ISRUAstroForge: Contact with Odin is lost in deep space; the company publishes a full failure debriefAstroForge: Odin launches on the IM-2 rideshare, the first private deep-space asteroid-mining scoutKarman+: Raises a $20M seed co-led by Hummingbird and Plural for an asteroid mining demonstrationInterlune: Comes out of stealth with $18M to harvest lunar helium-3AstroForge: Brokkr-1 demonstration cubesat reaches orbit, though its refinery payload cannot be switched onMaana Electric: Announces ESA and Luxembourg Space Agency support for TerraBox development on Earth and the MoonRedWorks: Supplies on-site 3D printed stone to Malibu's Sweetwater ParkRedWorks: Sinters play sand into building material in a bench testGateway Galactic: Granted a US patent for a collapsible orbital fuel depotRedWorks: Pivots from Mars habitats to construction after joining an acceleratorRedWorks: Begins Earth testing of its Made for Mars spinoff technologiesRedWorks: Reaches the final 30 in NASA's 3D Printed Habitat design contestNew in space resources & mining
All 8 space resources & mining companies
Ranked by disclosed funding.
AstroForge Prospecting asteroids for platinum
Karman+ Asteroid material to refuel satellites
Gateway Galactic DormantLEO orbital propellant depot
Interlune Helium-3 from the Moon
Maana Electric ISRU technology for solar panels
May Marom DormantWater from regolith
Origin SpaceProspecting asteroids with telescopes
RedWorks In-situ additive construction
How many space resources & mining space startups are there in 2026?
Space Bandits tracks 8 space resources & mining companies, 6 of them active, with $75.1M in disclosed funding between them.
What is the latest news from space resources & mining startups?
The most recent milestone on record is from AstroForge, dated 22 September 2026: "Reveals Solo, an in-house AI model that will run its spacecraft, ahead of a NASA-backed autonomy mission in 2027."
How many space resources & mining startups have shut down?
None has shut down, but 2 have shown no public activity for years.
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