Commercial Space

The commercial space market, also known as the private space industry or NewSpace, is experiencing strong growth. This burgeoning sector encompasses activities such as satellite manufacturing, space tourism, rocket launches, satellite services and space exploration initiatives driven by private companies. Players like SpaceX and Blue Origin on the launch side, or Planet and Maxar with their in-orbit satellite constellations are revolutionizing the industry, making space more accessible and cost-effective. The demand for satellite internet, Earth observation, and space-based services has fueled investments and technological advancements. With the rise of reusable rockets, commercial crew missions, and ambitious plans for space mining and Mars colonization, the commercial space market is poised for exponential growth, promising exciting developments and opportunities into the future. 

News & Analysis

Apr 29, 2022
French satellite startup Prométhée has contracted with NanoAvionics to build a hyperspectral nanosatellite demonstrator. The ProtoMéthée-1 will be based on NanoAvionics’ 16U nanosatellite bus M16P and would be a forerunner to plans to launch a 20-satellite constellation by 2025, Prométhée said on April 29.
Apr 26, 2022
Several venture capital firms and the related office at Lockheed Martin have teamed to invest $27 million in X-Bow Systems, an Albuquerque, New Mexico-based additive manufacturing startup targeting production of solid rocket energetics.
Apr 26, 2022
Hours after a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule returned from a privately financed sortie to the International Space Station (ISS), NASA cleared the company to proceed with a launch attempt at 3:52 a.m. EDT on April 27 to deliver the next resident crew to the orbital outpost.
Apr 26, 2022
Capella Space has raised $97 million through a Series C financing round that it plans to spend on further developing its automated image analysis software and next-generation satellites.
Apr 25, 2022
A prolonged, privately financed mission to the International Space Station (ISS) ended on April 25 with the return of a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule chartered by Houston-based Axiom Space.
Apr 29, 2022
French satellite startup Prométhée has contracted with NanoAvionics to build a hyperspectral nanosatellite demonstrator. The ProtoMéthée-1 will be based on NanoAvionics’ 16U nanosatellite bus M16P and would be a forerunner to plans to launch a 20-satellite constellation by 2025, Prométhée said on April 29.
Apr 26, 2022
Several venture capital firms and the related office at Lockheed Martin have teamed to invest $27 million in X-Bow Systems, an Albuquerque, New Mexico-based additive manufacturing startup targeting production of solid rocket energetics.
Apr 26, 2022
Hours after a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule returned from a privately financed sortie to the International Space Station (ISS), NASA cleared the company to proceed with a launch attempt at 3:52 a.m. EDT on April 27 to deliver the next resident crew to the orbital outpost.
Apr 26, 2022
Capella Space has raised $97 million through a Series C financing round that it plans to spend on further developing its automated image analysis software and next-generation satellites.
Apr 25, 2022
A prolonged, privately financed mission to the International Space Station (ISS) ended on April 25 with the return of a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule chartered by Houston-based Axiom Space.
Apr 21, 2022
Planet Labs has unveiled its next constellation of 32 Earth observation satellites, the Pelican fleet, which will provide images with up to 30 cm of resolution and improved revisit rates.
Apr 21, 2022
Weather concerns off the Florida coast have prompted new delays in the planned return to Earth of Axiom-1 from the International Space Station and the follow-on launch of NASA’s Crew-4 SpaceX Dragon Freedom to the ISS, NASA and Axiom Space announced late April 20.
Apr 21, 2022
NASA selected six U.S. satellite communications providers on April 20 to develop and demonstrate near-Earth space communication services to support future agency missions as part of the Communications Services Project.