List of private spaceflight companies
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Private spaceflight companies include non-governmental or privately owned entities focused on developing and/or offering equipment and services geared towards spaceflight, both robotic and human. This list includes both inactive and active entities.
| List of abbreviations used in this article |
|---|
| LEO: Low Earth orbit
GTO: Geostationary transfer orbit HCO: Heliocentric orbit VTOL: Vertical take-off and landing SSTO: Single-stage-to-orbit TSTO: Two-stage-to-orbit SSTSO: Single-stage-to-sub-orbit |
Commercial astronauts
- Association of Spaceflight Professionals[1][2] — Astronaut training, applied research and development, payload testing and integration, mission planning and operations support (Christopher Altman, Soyeon Yi)[1][3]
Manufacturers of space vehicles
Cargo transport vehicles
| Company name | Spacecraft | Launch system | Length (m) | Dry mass (kg) | Launch mass (kg) | Payload (kg) | Payload volume (m3) | Return payload (kg) | Diameter (m) | Generated power (W) | Automated docking | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SpaceX | Dragon | Falcon 9 Block 5 | 6.1 | 4,200[4] | 10,200 | 6,000[5] pressurized or unpressurized, in any mixture[6] | 10.0 (pressurized), plus 14 (unpressurized), or 34 (unpressurized with extended trunk)[7] | 3,000 capsule return[8] | 3.7 | 2,000[9] | No | Retired (21/22) |
| Dragon 2 | Falcon 9 Block 5 | 8.1 | 6,400 | 6,000[5] | 10.0 (pressurized), plus 14 (unpressurized) | 3,000[5] | 3.7 | Yes | Operational (12/12) | |||
| Starship (spacecraft) | Super Heavy | 52.1 | - | - | - | - | - | 9 | - | - | Testing | |
| Orbital | Cygnus (standard) | Antares 110 | 5.14 | 1,500[10] | 2,000[10] | 18.9[10] | None | 3.07 | 3,500[11] | No | Retired (3/4) | |
| Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems | Cygnus (enhanced) | Antares 230 | 6.34 | 1,800[12] | 3,500[12] | 27[12] | None | 3.07 | No | Operational (16/16) | ||
| Sierra Space | Dream Chaser Cargo System | Atlas V | 16.8[14] | 5,000 pressurized, 500 unpressurized[15] | 1,750[15] | Yes | Development
(planned 2025, missed) | |||||
| The Exploration Company | Nyx | Multiple | 4,000 - 5,000[16] | ~8 | 3,000[16] | Yes | Development | |||||
| Inversion Space | Arc[17] | Multiple (rideshare)[17] | small payloads | No | Development | |||||||
| Atmos Space Cargo | Phoenix 1 | Falcon 9 | 250 | 100 | No | Retired (1/1) | ||||||
| Phoenix 2 | Multiple | 100[18] | 50 (mean), 100 (peak)[18] | No | Development (planned 2026) | |||||||
| Mitsubishi Heavy Industries | HTV-X | H3-24L | 8.0 | 16,000 | 4,070 pressurised, 1,750 unpressurised | 78 | None | 4.4 | 3,000 (3 kW) | No | Operational (1/1) | |
| Rocket Factory Augsburg | Redshift | RFA One | 1,300 (SSO)[19] | None[20] | No | Development | ||||||
| HyImpulse | Hymove | SL1 | 400[21] | None | No | Development | ||||||
| Impulse Space | Mira | Falcon 9 | 300[22] | ~1[22] | None | 350[22] | No | Operational (3/3) | ||||
| Helios | Multiple[23] | 4,000 - 5,500[24] | 6.5 m tall x 4.5 m diameter[24] | None | No | Development | ||||||
| AVIC (Chengdu Aircraft Design Institute) | Haolong | Zhuque-3 | 10 | 1,800 | 8 (wingspan) | Yes | Development | |||||
| CAS Space | Qingzhou | Kinetica-2 (Lijian-2) | 5 | 4,200 | 1,800–2,750 | 9 (cargo bay; 27 pressurized) | None | 3.3 | Yes | Testing (1/1) | ||
| Gravitics | Diamondback[25] | TBD | 5–12 | None | No | Development | ||||||
| Medusa[25] | TBD | None | No | Development | ||||||||
| Viper OTX[25] | TBD | None | No | Development |
Crew transport vehicles
Orbital
| Company name | Spacecraft | Range | Launch
system |
Crew
size |
Length (m) | Diameter (m) | Launch mass (kg) | Power
system |
First
spaceflight* |
Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Origin | Biconic Space Vehicle | LEO | New Glenn | Planned date not known | Development | |||||
| Boeing | CST-100 Starliner | LEO | Multiple, initially Atlas V | 7[26] | 5.03[27] | 4.56[27] | 13,000 | Solar panels | Crewed: 5 June 2024
(Uncrewed: 20 December 2019) |
Operational |
| Sierra Space | Dream Chaser Space System | LEO | Multiple, initially Vulcan Centaur | 7[28] | 9[29] | 11,300[30] | 2026[31] | Development | ||
| SpaceX | Dragon 2 | LEO | Falcon 9 Block 5 | 7[32] | 8.1[33] | 3.7[34] | up to 6,000 | Solar | Crewed: May 30, 2020
(Uncrewed: 2 March 2019) |
Operational (18/18) |
| Starship | Mars[35][36] | Super Heavy | 50[35] | 9[35][37] | 1,335,000[35] | Solar panels | Planned: First Crewed: 2027[38] (First Uncrewed: 20 April 2023) | Testing
(6/11) |
- * - Format: Crewed (Uncrewed), includes failures
Suborbital
| Company name | Spacecraft | Range | Launch
system |
Crew
size |
Length (m) | Diameter (m) | Launch mass (kg) | First
spaceflight* |
Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scaled Composites | SpaceShipOne | 100 km (62 mi) | White Knight | 1 | 8.53 | 8.05 | 3,600 | 21 June 2004 | Retired (3/3)[39] |
| Blue Origin | New Shepard Crew Capsule | 114 km (71 mi) (capsule, using the launch escape system motor) | New Shepard | 6 | 3.6 | Crewed: July 20, 2021
(Uncrewed: April 29, 2015) |
Operational (23/24) | ||
| The Spaceship Company | SpaceShipTwo | 110 km (68 mi) | White Knight Two | 8 (6 passengers, 2 pilots) | 18.3 | 8.3 | 9,740 | 13 December 2018 | Testing (10/11)[40] |
| Copenhagen Suborbitals[41] | Tycho Deep Space | 105 km (65 mi) | Spica | 1 | 13 | 0.955 | 4,000 | Development | |
| PD AeroSpace | (Unknown) | 110 km (68 mi)[42] | (Unknown) | 8 (6 passengers, 2 pilots) | 14.8[43] | >6,000 | Development | ||
| World View | Explorer Capsule | 30 km (19 mi) | Stratospheric Balloon | 10 (8 passengers, 1 pilot, 1 concierge) | 5.5 | 4,500 | Planned 2024 | Development | |
| Space Perspective | Spaceship Neptune | 30 km (19 mi)[44] | Stratospheric Balloon | First uncrewed flight: 15 September 2024 | Development | ||||
| Halo Space | Aurora | 40 km (24 mi)[45] | Stratospheric Balloon[45] | First uncrewed flight: December 2022 | Development |
- * - Format: Crewed (Uncrewed), includes failures
Launch vehicle manufacturers
| Company name | Launcher
name |
Launcher
type |
No. of
stages |
Maximum
reach |
Launcher
status |
Maiden
flight |
Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABL Space Systems | RS1 | Light rocket | 2 | LEO | Retired (0/1) | 10 January 2023 | [46] |
| Agnikul Cosmos | Agnibaan | Light rocket | 2 | LEO | Development | Unknown | |
| ARCA Space | Haas 2b | Suborbital crewed rocket | 1 | Suborbital | Cancelled | — | [47] |
| Haas 2CA | Light rocket | 1 | LEO | Cancelled | — | [48] | |
| Super Haas | Medium rocket | 2 | LEO | Cancelled | — | [49] | |
| EcoRocket Demonstrator | Reusable light rocket | 3 | LEO | Development | Unknown (2022 planned, missed) | [50] | |
| EcoRocket Heavy | Heavy rocket | 3 | Deep space | Proposed | Unknown | [50] | |
| Arianespace | Ariane 1 | Medium rocket | 3 | LEO | Retired (9/11) | 1979 | |
| Ariane 2 | Medium rocket | 3 | LEO | Retired (5/6) | 1986 | ||
| Ariane 3 | Medium rocket | 3 | LEO | Retired (10/11) | 1984 | ||
| Ariane 4 | Medium rocket | 3 | LEO | Retired (113/116) | 1988 | ||
| Ariane 5 | Heavy rocket | 2 | LEO | Operational (112/117) | 1996 | ||
| Ariane 6 | Heavy rocket | 2 | LEO | Operational (5/6) | 2024 | ||
| Ariane Next | Partially reusable heavy rocket | 2 | LEO | Development | 2030s | ||
| Australian Space Research Institute | AUSROC Nano | Light rocket | 2 | LEO | Cancelled | — | [51] |
| Astra Space | Astra Rocket 1 | Sounding rocket | 2 | Suborbital | Retired (0/1) | 2018 | [52][53][54] |
| Astra Rocket 2 | Sounding rocket | 2 | Suborbital | Retired (0/1) | 2018 | [55] | |
| Astra Rocket 3 | Light rocket | 2 | LEO | Retired (2/5) | 2020 | [56][57] | |
| Astra Rocket 4 | Light rocket | 2 | LEO | Development | 2026 (planned) | [58][59] | |
| SALVO | Light rocket | 2 | LEO | Cancelled | — | [60][61][62] | |
| Bellatrix Aerospace | Chetak | Light rocket | 2 | LEO | Cancelled | — (2023 planned, missed) | |
| Blue Origin | New Shepard | Reusable suborbital rocket | 1 | Suborbital | Operational (22/23) | 2015 | |
| New Glenn | Reusable heavy rocket | 2 or 3 | GTO | Operational (1/1) | 2025 | [63][64][65] | |
| New Armstrong | Reusable super-heavy rocket | 3 | HCO | Proposed | ~2030 (proposed) | ||
| BluShift Aerospace | Stardust | Reusable sounding rocket | 1 | Suborbital | Operational (1/1) | 2020 | |
| Starless Rogue | Sounding rocket | 2 | Suborbital | Cancelled | — | ||
| Brown Dwarf | Sounding rocket | 2 or 3 | Suborbital | Cancelled | — | ||
| Red Dwarf | Light rocket | 3 | LEO | Cancelled | — (2024 planned, missed) | ||
| Borneo SubOrbitals | TBA | Sounding rocket | 2 or 3 | Suborbital | Cancelled | — (2022 planned, missed) | [66][67][68] |
| Canadian Arrow | Canadian Arrow | Suborbital crewed rocket | 2 | Suborbital | Cancelled | — | [69] |
| Dawn Aerospace | Mk-II Aurora | Reusable spaceplane | 1 | Suborbital | Test flights (3/3) | 2023 | [70] |
| Evolution Space | Gold Chain Cowboy | Sounding rocket | 1 | Suborbital | Development | 2023 | [71][72] |
| Exos Aerospace | SARGE | Reusable sounding rocket | 1 | Suborbital | Operational (3/4) | 2018 | [73][74] |
| Equatorial Space Systems | Volans | Light Rocket | 3 | LEO | Development | Unknown | [75] |
| Dorado | Sounding Rocket | 1 or 2 | Suborbital | Development | Unknown (2023 planned, missed) | [76] | |
| LAD | Sounding Rocket | 1 | Suborbital | Retired (1/1) | 2020 | [77] | |
| Firefly Aerospace | Firefly Alpha | Light rocket | 2 | LEO | Operational (4/5) | 2021 | [78] |
| Firefly MLV | Light rocket | 2 | LEO | Development | 2026 (planned) | [79] | |
| Galactic Energy | Ceres-1 | Light Rocket | 4 | LEO | Operational (23/24) | 2020 | [80] |
| Ceres-2 | Light Rocket | 4 | LEO | Testing (0/1) | 2026 | [81] | |
| Pallas-1 | Partially reusable medium rocket | 2 | SSO | Development | 2026 (planned) | [82] | |
| Pallas-2 | Reusable super-heavy rocket | Unknown | Unknown | Development | Unknown | [81] | |
| Gilmour Space Technologies | RASTA | Sounding rocket | 1 | Suborbital | Retired (1/1) | 2016 | [83] |
| Eris | Light rocket | 3 | LEO | Testing (0/1) | July 2025 | [83] | |
| Generation Orbit | X-60A (GOLauncher 1) | Air-launched sounding rocket | 1 + airplane | Suborbital | Development | Unknown | [84][85] |
| GOLauncher 2 | Air-launch-to-orbit | 2 + airplane | LEO | Development | Unknown | ||
| Independence-X Aerospace | DNLV (Dedicated Nano Launch Vehicle) | Light rocket | 2 | LEO | Development | 2023 (planned, missed) | [86][87] |
| Interorbital Systems | NEPTUNE N series | Light rocket | 3–4 | LEO | Development | Unknown | [88][89] |
| NEPTUNE N36 | Light rocket | 4 | TLI | Proposed | Unknown | [88][89] | |
| Neptune TSAAHTO | Medium rocket | 2½ | TLI | Proposed | Unknown | [88] | |
| Interstellar Technologies | Momo | Sounding rocket | 1 | Suborbital | Operational (3/7) | 2017 | [90][91] |
| ZERO | Light rocket | 2 | LEO | Development | Unknown | [92] | |
| DECA | Reusable Medium rocket | 1-2 | SSO | Proposed | Unknown | [93] | |
| Isar Aerospace | Spectrum | Light rocket | 2 | LEO | Testing (0/1) | 2025 | [94] |
| Lockheed Martin | VentureStar | Reusable spaceplane | 1 | LEO | Cancelled | — | [95] |
| Athena | Medium rocket | 2 or 3 | TLI | Retired (5/7) | 1995 | ||
| OneSpace | OS-X | Sounding rocket | 2 | Suborbital | Operational (2/2) | 2018 | [96] |
| OS-M1 | Light rocket | 3 | LEO | Operational (0/1) | 2019 | [97] | |
| OS-M2 | Light rocket | 3 + 2 boosters | LEO | Development | Unknown | [98] | |
| OS-M4 | Light rocket | 3 + 4 boosters | LEO | Development | Unknown | [99] | |
| Orbex | Prime | Light rocket | 2 | LEO | Cancelled | — | [100] |
| OrbitX | Haribon SLS-1 | Light rocket | 2 | LEO | Cancelled | — (2023–2024 planned, missed) | |
| Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems | Antares | Medium rocket | 3 | LEO | Retired (17/18) | 2013 | [101] |
| Minotaur-C, formerly Taurus | Light rocket | 4 | LEO | Retired (7/10) | 1994 | [102][103][104] | |
| Pegasus | Air-launch-to-orbit | 3-4 + airplane | HEO | Retired (40/45) | 1990 | ||
| Omega | Medium rocket | 3 + 0-6 boosters | GEO | Cancelled | (planned 2021, missed) | [105] | |
| Orbital Transport & Raketen AG | OTRAG | Medium rocket | Variable | LEO (designed)
Suborbital (achieved) |
Retired (15/18) | 1977 | [106] |
| Perigee Aerospace | Blue Whale 1 | Light rocket | 2 | LEO | Development | 2025 | [107][108] |
| PLD Space | Miura 1 | Sounding rocket | 1 | Suborbital | Operational (1/1) | 6 October 2023 | [109][110][111][112][113] |
| Miura 5 | Light rocket | 3 | LEO | Development | 2026 (planned) | [112] | |
| Miura Next | Reusable light rocket | 2 | LEO | Development | Unknown | [114] | |
| Relativity Space | Terran 1 | Light rocket | 2 | LEO | Retired (0/1) | 23 March 2023 | [115][116] |
| Terran R | Reusable heavy rocket | 2 | Deep space | Development | 2026 (planned) | [117] | |
| Rocket Lab | Ātea-1 | Sounding rocket | 2 | Suborbital | Retired (1/1) | 2009 | [118][119] |
| Ātea-2 | Sounding rocket | 2 | Suborbital | Cancelled | — | [120] | |
| Electron | Reusable light rocket | 2 | TLI | Operational (34/37) | 2017 | [121] | |
| Neutron | Reusable medium rocket | 2 | GTO | Development | 2026 (planned) | [122][123] | |
| Rocket Factory Augsburg | RFA One | Light rocket | 3 | LEO | Development | 2026 (planned) | [124][125][94] |
| Skyroot Aerospace | Vikram S | Sounding rocket | 3 | LEO | Operational | 2022 | [126] |
| Vikram-I | Light rocket | 3 | LEO | Development | 2026 (planned) | [127] | |
| Vikram-II | Light rocket | 3 | LEO | Development | 2026 (planned) | [128] | |
| Skyrora | Skyrora 1 | Sounding rocket | 1 | Suborbital | Development | Unknown | [129][130][131] |
| Skylark Micro | Sounding rocket | 2 | Suborbital | Operational (1/1) | 2021 | [132] | |
| Skylark L | Sounding rocket | 1 | Suborbital | Development | 2022 (planned, missed) | [133][134] | |
| Skyrora XL | Light rocket | 3 | LEO | Development | 2023 (planned, missed) | [135][136][137][138] | |
| Space Services Inc. | Percheron | Sounding rocket | 1 | Suborbital | Cancelled | — | [139] |
| Conestoga 1620 | Medium rocket | 4 | LEO (designed)
Suborbital (achieved) |
Retired (0/1) | 1995 | [139] | |
| Space Pioneer | Tiansuo-1 | Vertical landing test stage | 1 | Suborbital | Development | Unknown | [140] |
| Tianlong-1 | Light rocket | LEO | Testing
(0/1) |
2026 | [140][141] | ||
| Tianlong-2 | Light rocket | LEO | Operational (1/1) | 2023 | |||
| Tianlong-3 | Reusable light rocket | LEO | Development | 2026 (planned) | |||
| SpaceX | Falcon 1 | Light rocket | 2 | LEO | Retired (2/5) | 2006 | [142] |
| Falcon 1e | Light rocket | 2 | LEO | Cancelled | — | [142] | |
| Falcon 5 | Medium rocket | 2 | GTO | Cancelled | — | [143] | |
| Falcon 9 v1.0 | Medium rocket | 2 | GTO (designed)
LEO (achieved) |
Retired (5/5) | 2010 | [144] | |
| Falcon 9 v1.1 | Medium rocket | 2 | HCO | Retired (14/15) | 2013 | [144] | |
| Falcon 9 Full Thrust
Block 1-4 |
Reusable medium rocket /
Heavy rocket (expendable) |
2 | TMI[145] | Retired (36/36) | 2015 | [144] | |
| Falcon 9 Block 5 | Reusable medium rocket /
Heavy rocket (expendable) |
2 | TMI[145] | Operational (581/582) | 2018 | [146][147] | |
| Falcon Heavy | Reusable heavy rocket /
Super-heavy rocket (expendable) |
2 + 2 boosters | Deep space (Pluto)[148] | Operational (12/12) | 2018 | [144][149] | |
| Starship Super-Heavy | Reusable super-heavy rocket | 2 | Deep space | Testing (4/9) | 2023 | ||
| Stoke Space | Nova | Reusable light rocket | 2 | LEO | Development | Unknown | [150] |
| Success Rockets | Nebo 1 | Ultralight rocket | 1 | Suborbital | Operational (1/1) | December 2021 | [151] |
| Stalker | Ultralight rocket | 2 | LEO | Development | (Planned 2024, missed) | [152] | |
| Cosmos | Ultralight rocket | 2 | LEO | Development | Unknown | ||
| United Launch Alliance | Atlas V | Medium rocket | 2 + 0-5 boosters | TMI | Operational (98/99) | 2002 | [153] |
| Delta II 6000 | Medium rocket | 2-3 + 9 boosters | GTO | Retired (17/17) | 1989 | [154] | |
| Delta II 7000 | Light rocket | 2-3 + 3, 4 or 9 boosters | GTO | Retired (130/132) | 1990 | [154] | |
| Delta II 7000H | Medium rocket | 2-3 + 9 boosters | TMI | Retired (6/6) | 2003 | [154] | |
| Delta IV | Medium rocket | 2 + 0, 2 or 4 boosters | GTO | Retired (29/29) | 2003 | [155] | |
| Delta IV Heavy | Heavy rocket | 2 + 2 boosters | GTO | Retired (14/15) | 2004 | [156] | |
| Vulcan | Heavy rocket | 2 + 0-6 boosters | GTO | Operational (4/4) | 2024 | [157][158] | |
| UP Aerospace | Spaceloft/Spaceloft XL | Sounding rocket | 1 | Suborbital | Operational (18/19) | 2006 | [159] |
| Spyder | Sounding rocket | 2 | Suborbital | Development | (Planned 2023, missed) | [159] | |
| Vector Launch | Vector-R | Light rocket | 2 | LEO | Cancelled | — (2 prototype launches in 2017) | |
| Vector-RE1 | Light rocket | 2 or 3 | LEO | Cancelled | — | ||
| Vector-H | Light rocket | 2 | LEO | Cancelled | — | ||
| Vector-HE1 | Light rocket | 2 or 3 | LEO | Cancelled | — | ||
| Virgin Orbit | LauncherOne | Air-launch-to-orbit | 2 + airplane | LEO | Retired (4/6) | 2020 (First successful attempt Jan 2021) | [160] |
| Zero2infinity | Bloostar | Rockoon system (high-altitude balloon and space launcher) | 3 + high-altitude balloon | LEO | Development | Unknown | [161] |
| CAS Space | Lijian-1 (Kinetica-1) | Medium rocket | 4 | LEO | Operational (11/12) | 27 July 2022 | |
| Kinetica-2 | Medium rocket | 2 | LEO | Operational (1/1) | 2026 | [162] | |
| Kinetica-2 Heavy | Partially reusable heavy rocket | 2 + 2 boosters | LEO | Development | 2028 (planned) | [163] | |
| Kinetica-3 | Reusable heavy rocket | LEO | Development | Unknown | [163] | ||
| ExPace (CASIC) | Kuaizhou-1 | Light rocket | 4 | LEO | Retired (2/2) | 2013 | |
| Kuaizhou-1A | Light rocket | 4 | LEO | Operational (24/28) | 2017 | ||
| Kuaizhou-11 | Medium rocket | 4 | LEO | Operational (3/4) | 2020 | ||
| Honda | Unknown | Reusable rocket | 1 | Suborbital | Testing (1/1) | 2025 | [164] |
| HyImpulse | SR75 | Sounding rocket | 1 | Suborbital | Operational (1/1) | 2024 | [165] |
| SL1 | Light rocket | 3 | LEO | Development | 2026 (planned) | [166] | |
| Innospace | Hanbit-Nano | Light rocket | 2 | LEO | Testing (0/1) | 2025 | [167] |
| Hanbit-Micro | Light rocket | 2 | LEO | Development | Unknown | [168] | |
| Hanbit-Mini | Medium rocket | 3 | LEO | Development | Unknown | [169] | |
| iSpace (Beijing Interstellar Glory Space Technology) | Hyperbola-1 | Light rocket | 4 | LEO | Operational (4/8) | 2019 | [170] |
| Hyperbola-2 | Reusable light rocket | 1–2 | LEO | Cancelled | — | ||
| Hyperbola-3 | Reusable medium rocket | 2 | LEO | Development | 2026 (planned) | [170] | |
| LandSpace | Zhuque-1 | Light rocket | 2 | LEO | Retired (1/1) | 2018 | [171] |
| Zhuque-2 | Medium rocket | 2 | LEO | Operational (4/6) | 2023 | [171] | |
| Zhuque-3 | Partially reusable medium rocket | 2 | LEO | Testing (1/1) | 2025 | [172] | |
| Latitude (formerly Venture Orbital Systems) | Zephyr | Light rocket | 2 | LEO | Development | 2027 (planned) | [173] |
| LinkSpace | RLV-T | Reusable suborbital test vehicle | 1 | Suborbital | Retired | 2019 | |
| NewLine-1 | Light rocket | 2 | LEO | Development | Unknown | ||
| MaiaSpace | Maia | Reusable light rocket | 2 | LEO | Development | 2027 (planned) | |
| Orienspace | Gravity-1 | Heavy rocket | 4 | LEO | Operational (2/2) | 2024 | |
| Gravity-2 | Partially reusable heavy rocket | 2 | LEO | Development | 2026 | [174] | |
| Gravity-3 | Partially reusable heavy rocket | 3 | LEO | Development | Unknown | ||
| Phantom Space | Daytona | Light rocket | 2 | LEO | Development | Unknown | [175] |
| Space One | KAIROS | Light rocket | 4 | LEO | Testing (0/3) | 2024 |
Landers, rovers and orbiters
| Company name | Craft name | Craft type | Craft status | First Launch | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Astrobotic Technology | Griffin Lander (previously Artemis Lander) | Lunar lander | Development | 2026 (planned) | [176] |
| Peregrine Lander | Lunar lander | Retired (0/1) | 2024 | [177][178] | |
| Blue Origin | Blue Moon | Crewed Lunar lander | Development | 2026 (planned) | |
| Integrated Lander Vehicle | Crewed lunar lander | Paused | Unknown | ||
| Dynetics | Dynetics HLS | Crewed Lunar lander | Cancelled | Unknown | |
| Euroluna | ROMIT | Lunar lander | Cancelled | — | [179] |
| Firefly Aerospace | Blue Ghost | Lunar lander | Operational (1/1) | 2025 | |
| Elytra | Lunar Orbiter | Development | 2026 (planned) | [180] | |
| Golden Spike Company
(defunct) |
unnamed | Crewed lunar lander | Cancelled | [181] | |
| Hakuto | Sorato | Lunar rover | Cancelled | [182][183] | |
| Tetris | Lunar rover | Cancelled | [184] | ||
| Independence-X Aerospace | SQUALL (Scientific Quest Unmanned Autonomous Lunar Lander) | Lunar lander | Cancelled | [185] | |
| Interorbital Systems | RIPPER (Robotic InterPlanetary Prospector Excavator Retriever) | Lunar lander | Development | [186] | |
| Intuitive Machines | Universal Reentry Vehicle (URV)[187] | Reusable orbital vehicle | Development | [188] | |
| IM-1 (Odysseus) | Lunar lander | Operational (1/1) | 2024 | ||
| IM-2 (Athena) | Lunar lander | Retired (0/1) | 2025 | ||
| IM-3 | Lunar lander | Development | |||
| IM-4 | Lunar lander | Development | |||
| IM-5 | Lunar lander (Nova-D cargo class) | Development | |||
| Lunar Mission One | unnamed | Lunar lander | Cancelled | [189] | |
| Lunar Outpost | MAPP rover | Lunar rover | Lost | [190] | |
| Masten Space Systems | XEUS | Lunar lander | Cancelled | [191] | |
| XL-1 | Lunar lander | Cancelled | [192] | ||
| Moon Express | MX-1 | Lunar lander | Cancelled | [191][193] | |
| Odyssey Moon | MoonOne (M-1) | Lunar rover | Cancelled | [194] | |
| OrbitBeyond | Z-01 | Lunar lander and rover | Cancelled | [195][196] | |
| PTScientists | Audi Lunar quattro | Lunar rover | Cancelled | [197] | |
| ALINA (Autonomous Landing and Navigation Module) | Lunar lander | Cancelled | [198] | ||
| Puli Space Technologies | Puli | Lunar rover | Cancelled | [199] | |
| SpaceX | Starship | Crewed mars lander | Development | ||
| Starship HLS | Crewed lunar lander | Development | |||
| Team FREDNET | Picorover | Lunar rover | Cancelled | [200] | |
| Team Indus | HHK-1 | Lunar lander | Cancelled | ||
| ECA | Lunar rover | Cancelled | |||
| TransOrbital | TrailBlazer | Lunar orbiter | Cancelled | [201] | |
| Synergy Moon | Tesla | Lunar rover | Cancelled | [202] | |
| Blue Canyon Technologies | Various smallsat buses (Draper farside relay sats; multiple NASA science smallsats) | Lunar orbiter | Operational | ||
| Ceres Robotics | (lunar lander) | Lunar lander | Proposed | ||
| Draper | CP-12 / SERIES-2 (using ispace APEX 1.0 lander) | Lunar lander | Development | 2026 (planned) | |
| Dymon | YAOKI | Lunar rover | Development | ||
| Interlune | He-3 harvester / lander | Lunar lander | Development | ||
| Intuitive Machines | Moon RACER (with Boeing, Northrop Grumman, AVL, Michelin) | Lunar rover | Cancelled | ||
| ispace | Hakuto-R Mission 1 | Lunar lander | Retired (0/1) | 2022 | |
| RESILIENCE | Lunar lander | Retired (0/1) | 2025 | ||
| Tenacious | Lunar rover | Operational (0/1) | 2025 | ||
| ispace EU (with SSTL and Airbus) | Lunar Pathfinder | Lunar lander | Development | 2026 (planned) | |
| ispace U.S. | APEX 1.0 | Lunar lander | Development | 2026 (planned) | |
| Lunar Outpost | Eagle / Lunar Dawn LTV (with Lockheed Martin, GM, Goodyear, MDA Space) | Lunar rover | Development | ||
| Mitsubishi Heavy Industries | LUPEX rover (with ISRO Chandrayaan-class lander) | Lunar rover | Development | ||
| Quantum Space | Ranger / Sentry | Lunar lander | Development | ||
| Rocket Lab | Photon (CAPSTONE bus) | Lunar orbiter | Operational | 2022 | |
| ESCAPADE (twin Mars orbiters, Photon bus) | Mars orbiter | Development | |||
| Aspera | UV astronomy spacecraft (LEO) | Development | |||
| Toyota | Lunar Cruiser | Crewed lunar rover | Development | 2029 (planned) | |
| Astrobotic Technology | CubeRover (CubeRover-1 and modular product line) | Lunar rover | Development | 2025 | |
| GITAI | GITAI Lunar Rover | Lunar rover | Development | [203] |
Research craft and tech demonstrators
| Company name | Craft name | Craft purpose | Craft status | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ARCA | Demonstrator 2b | demonstrate reusable monopropellant engine | Retired | |
| Armadillo Aerospace | Quad | demonstrate VTOL | Retired | |
| ASRI | AUSROC I | systems Testing | Retired | |
| AUSROC II | payload to 10 km | Retired | ||
| AUSROC 2.5 | systems Testing | Testing | ||
| AUSROC III | payload of 150 kg to 500 km | Development | ||
| Blue Origin | Goddard | demonstrate VTOL | Retired | |
| Deep Blue Aerospace | Nebula-1 | demonstrate VTOL | Development | [204] |
| Evolution Space | Gold Chain Cowboy | systems testing, payload to 124 km | Development | [205] |
| Interorbital Systems | Neutrino | systems Testing | Operational | |
| Tachyon | systems Testing | Operational | [206] | |
| Lockheed Martin | X-33 | demonstrate SSTO | Cancelled | |
| Masten Space Systems | XA-0.1 | demonstrate VTOL | Retired | |
| XA-0.1B | Lunar Lander Challenge Level 1 | Retired | ||
| XA-0.1E | Lunar Lander Challenge Level 2, commercial precursor flights | Retired (12 flights) | ||
| XA-0.1E2 | commercial flights | Destroyed (115 flights) | ||
| XA-0.1E4 | commercial flights | Retired (75 flights) | ||
| XA-0.1E5 | commercial flights | Retired | ||
| XL-1T | terrestrial test bed for the XL-1 lunar lander | Cancelled | ||
| Xeus | commercial flights | Cancelled | ||
| McDonnell Douglas | DC-X | demonstrate VTOL | Retired (11 test flights) | |
| Origin Space | Yang Wang-1 | space mineral resources developer | Operational | [207] |
| Rotary Rocket | Roton ATV | demonstrate VTOL | Retired (3 test flights) | |
| Space Services Inc. | Conestoga I | systems Testing | Retired (1 test) | [139] |
| SpaceX | Grasshopper | demonstrate VTOL | Retired (8 tests) | [208] |
| F9R Dev1 | refine VTOL (low altitude) | Destroyed (5 flights) | [209] | |
| F9R Dev2 | refine VTOL (high altitude) | Cancelled | ||
| Starhopper | demonstrate VTOL | Retired (4 test flights) | ||
| Starship prototypes | demonstrate VTOL | Retired (7 test flight) | ||
| Swedish Space Corp. | Maxus | payload to 700 km | Operational | |
| Maser | payload to 300 km | Operational | ||
| UP Aerospace | SpaceLoft XL | payload to 140 km | Operational | [210] |
| World View Enterprises | Stratollite | payload up to 30 km and 300 kg | Operational | [211][212] |
| zero2infinity | nanobloon 1.0 | payload to 32 km | Operational | [213] |
| nanobloon 2.0 | payload to 33 km | Operational | ||
| microbloon 1.0 | payload to 24 km | Operational | ||
| microbloon 2.0 | payload to 31 km | Operational | ||
| microbloon 3.0 | payload to 27 km | Operational | ||
| Stratolaunch | Roc (carrier aircraft) | air-launch carrier platform | Operational (24+) | |
| Talon-A2 | demonstrate reusable hypersonic flight (Mach 5+) with runway recovery | Operational (2/2) | ||
| Stoke Space | Hopper2 | demonstrate VTVL with active regeneratively-cooled heat shield and differential-throttle thrust vector control | Retired (1/1) |
Propulsion manufacturers
Satellite launchers
| Company | Launch vehicles | Notes | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arianespace | Ariane, Vega | Minority owned by some EU states | |
| Astra Space | Rocket 3, Rocket 4 | Rocket 3 retired in August 2022 | [59] |
| Firefly Aerospace | Firefly Alpha, Firefly MLV | ||
| IHI Corporation | Epsilon | Some R&D by JAXA | |
| Mitsubishi Heavy Industries | H-IIA | R&D done by JAXA. | [222] |
| Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems | Antares, Minotaur | Own launchers, funded by NASA | |
| Rocket Lab | Neutron, Electron | ||
| SpaceX | Falcon 9, Falcon Heavy | ||
| Sea Launch | Zenit | Cancelled (no launches since 2014; owned by S7 Airlines) | |
| United Launch Alliance | Atlas V, Vulcan Centaur | 50% owned by Lockheed Martin, 50% Boeing |
Space-based economy
Space manufacturing
| Company name | Products | Manufacturing craft | Status | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shackleton Energy Company | propellant, space infrastructure, propellant depot | Unknown | Defunct (2020) | [223] |
| Made In Space | 3D printing in ISS, in-space antenna systems, fiber optics | Unknown | Operational (2018) | [224] |
| Varda Space Industries | building products in space and bringing them back to earth (ex: ZBLAN, 3d printed organs) | Unknown | Operational (2021) | [225] |
| Deep Space Industries | propellant, communications platforms, space solar power satellites | MicroGravity Foundry | Defunct (2020) | [226] |
| Space Forge | in-space manufacturing (semiconductors, specialist alloys) | ForgeStar return capsule series | Development | |
| Redwire Space | in-space manufacturing (PIL-BOX pharma platform; ZBLAN; ceramics; bioprinting) | Various ISS-attached payloads | Operational |
Space mining
| Company name | Body to be mined | Mining craft | Mining status | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AstroForge | Near-Earth asteroids | Brokrr-1, Odin (formerly Brokkr-2) | Development | [227] |
| Deep Space Industries | Near-Earth asteroids | Prospector-1, Harvestor 1 | Defunct (2019) | [228][229] |
| ispace | Moon | Hakuto-R | Development | [230][231] |
| Moon Express | Moon | MX-1, MX-2, MX-5, MX-9 | Development | [232] |
| Planetary Resources | Near-Earth asteroids | Arkyd Series 100, 200, 300 | Cancelled | [233] |
| Shackleton Energy Company | Moon | TBD | Defunct (2020) | [223] |
Space stations
| Private Company name | Space Craft name | Space Craft type | Internal
volume |
Passenger
capacity |
Craft status | Orbit Around | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Axiom Space | Axiom Station | Rigid module | 8[234][better source needed] | Development | Earth | [235] | |
| Bigelow Aerospace | Genesis I subscale test spacecraft | Inflatable module | 11.5 m3 (406 cu ft)[236] | Uncrewed | Derelict, on orbit[237] | Earth | [236] |
| Genesis II subscale test spacecraft | Inflatable module | 11.5 m3 (406 cu ft) | Uncrewed | Derelict, on orbit[237][238] | Earth | [239][240] | |
| Galaxy | Inflatable module | 16.7 m3 (590 cu ft)[241][242] | Uncrewed | Cancelled | Earth | [243] | |
| Sundancer | Inflatable module | 180 m3 (6,357 cu ft) | 3 | Cancelled | Earth | [244] | |
| BA 330 | Inflatable module | 330 m3 (11,654 cu ft) | 6 | Cancelled[245] | Earth | [246][247][248] | |
| BA 2100 | Inflatable module | 2,100 m3 (74,161 cu ft) | 16 | Cancelled[245] | Earth | [249] | |
| Space Complex Alpha | Inflatable space station | 690 m3 (24,367 cu ft) | 12 | Cancelled | Earth | ||
| Excalibur Almaz | Almaz derivative | Rigid module | 3 | Cancelled | Earth | [250][251][252] | |
| SPACEHAB Inc. | SPACEHAB Module (Single, Double, Logistics variants) | Pressurized cargo / research module (Shuttle-attached) | 31 m3 (1,095 cu ft)–62 m3 (2,190 cu ft) | — | Retired (22 Shuttle missions 1993–2008) | Earth (Shuttle-attached) | |
| Sierra Space | Large Inflatable Fabric Environment (LIFE) | Inflatable module | 300 m3 (10,594 cu ft) | 4 | Testing | Moon/Mars | [253] |
| Blue Origin | Orbital Reef | Rigid module | 830 m3 (29,311 cu ft) | TBA | Development (2021) | Earth | [254] |
| Airbus | LOOP | Three-module station concept | — | TBA | Proposed | Earth | [255] |
| Gravitics | Orbital Carrier | Rigid module supplier (for use across commercial stations) | — | — | Development | Earth | [256] |
| Max Space | Thunderbird Station | Inflatable module | 350 m3 (12,360 cu ft) | 4 | Development | Earth | [257] |
| Voyager Technologies | Bishop Airlock | ISS-attached and free-flyer commercial hardware | — | Uncrewed | Operational | Earth | |
| Northrop Grumman | (free-flyer commercial destination) | Rigid module | — | TBA | Cancelled | Earth | |
| ThinkOrbital | ThinkPlatforms / Think Stations | Spherical orbital platform | — | TBA | Development | Earth | [258] |
| Vast | Haven Demo | Smallsat technology demonstrator | — | Uncrewed | Operational (deployed November 2025) | Earth | |
| Haven-1 | Rigid module | 45 m3 (1,589 cu ft) | 4 | Development | Earth | ||
| Haven-2 | Modular rigid station (NASA CLD Phase 2 bid) | — | TBA | Development | Earth | ||
| Voyager Technologies, Airbus, MDA Space, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Northrup Grumman | Starlab | Rigid module (single-launch) | 450 m3 (15,892 cu ft) | 4 | Development | Earth | [259] |
| Mitsui & Co. | Japanese Space Station Module (Mitsui) (Kibō successor) | Rigid module (designed to dock with a US commercial space station) | — | TBA | Development | Earth | [260] |
Spacecraft component developers and manufacturers
| Company | Products | Refs |
|---|---|---|
| Altius Space Machines | Rendezvous and capture technology for uncooperative satellites; magnetoshell aerocapture and aerobraking technology for CubeSats; lightweight robotic manipulators[when?] | [citation needed] |
| Andrews Space | Reusable space vehicles; HTHL spacecraft; magnetorquers[when?] | [citation needed] |
| Alén Space | NanoSats and CubeSats | [261] |
| Astranis | MicroGEO Satellites | |
| Axelspace | CubeSats | [262] |
| CesiumAstro | Active phased array communications payloads that include RF inter-satellite links as of 2017. | [263][264] |
| EADS Astrium Satellites | Spacecraft and ground segment elements | [citation needed] |
| EADS Astrium Space Transportation | Launchers and orbital infrastructure | [citation needed] |
| Innovative Solutions In Space | CubeSat manufacture and operation, as of 2018[update] | [265] |
| Made in Space | 3D printers for use in microgravityas of 2013[update] | [266] |
| Mynaric | Laser communication for satellites and aircraft | [267] |
| Portal Space Systems | Satellite buses with a solar thermal propulsion system | [268][269] |
| RUAG Space | Antenna Pointing Mechanisms; Solar Array Drive Assembly (SADA); satellite components; launchers and structures as of 2009[update] | [270][better source needed] |
| SpaceDev | Small spacecraft; propulsion products and services; space components, mechanisms and structures[when?] | [271] |
| SpaceQuest, Ltd. | Spacecraft and spacecraft components[when?] | [citation needed] |
| Apex Space | Production satellite buses (Aries, Comet, Nova product lines) | |
| Astroscale | Active debris removal and satellite life-extension services (ELSA-d demonstrator 2021; ADRAS-J close-approach to H-IIA upper stage 2024) | |
| Atomos Space | Orbital transfer vehicles (Quark and Gluon tugs) | |
| BlackSky | Earth-observation constellation (Gen-2 imaging satellites) | |
| ClearSpace | Active debris removal (ESA ClearSpace-1 contract; planned removal of VESPA payload adapter) | |
| D-Orbit | In-space transport (ION Satellite Carrier; multiple operational missions) | |
| ICEYE | Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite constellation | |
| K2 Space | Large-class satellite buses (Mega-class platform) | |
| Loft Orbital | Hosted-payload satellite services (YAM and Longbow series) | |
| Pixxel | Hyperspectral satellite constellation (Firefly satellites) | |
| Planet Labs | Earth-observation constellation (Dove, SuperDove, SkySat, Pelican) | |
| SpinLaunch | Kinetic launch system (suborbital accelerator; multiple suborbital test flights completed) | |
| Spire Global | RF and weather smallsats (LEMUR constellation) | |
| True Anomaly | Defence and space-domain awareness satellites (Jackal autonomous orbital vehicle) |
Spaceliner companies
| Company name | Contracts for | Craft utilised | Status | Notes | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Axiom Space | SpaceX | Crew Dragon | Active | SpaceX Axiom Space-1 launched in April 2022 | [272][273] |
| Benson Space Company | SpaceDev | Dream Chaser | Defunct | [274] | |
| MirCorp | none | Soyuz TM, Progress M1 and Mir | Defunct | Mir deorbited | |
| Space Adventures | - | Soyuz and the ISS | Active | 9 tourists sent | [275] |
| RocketShip Tours | XCOR | Lynx rocketplane | Defunct | ||
| Virgin Galactic | Scaled Composites | Spaceship Two, White Knight 2 | Active | 7 Spaceship Two glide flights successfully completed |
See also
- List of government space agencies
- List of spacecraft manufacturers including the "traditional space" companies
- NewSpace
- Private spaceflight
- Robert Truax
- Space industry