NewSpace Navigator – Sixth Edition 15 June 2026

The space sector continues to demonstrate strong momentum and growth, with SpaceX’s landmark IPO process and multiple companies pursuing public listings underscoring sustained investor confidence in the sector.

Strategic acquisitions such as York Space Systems’ US$355m deal with ALL.SPACE and Phantom Space’s acquisition of Thermal Management Technologies highlight continued efforts to build integrated communications and data capabilities.

Capital raising remains robust across the sector, with significant funding directed toward satellite manufacturing, orbital data centres and next-generation technologies. Large raises by True Anomaly, Astranis, and Cowboy Space reinforce growing investment in scalable infrastructure, whilst smaller companies continue to secure funding to expand production and deploy constellations.

Launch activity remains strong, led by SpaceX’s frequent missions, alongside contributions from Rocket Lab and Arianespace, amongst others. Despite isolated setbacks, the sector shows continued resilience and strong growth potential.

M&A/CORPORATE

May 2026

• SpaceX filed paperwork with the SEC for the largest IPO ever; and
• Intuitive Machine acquired Goonhilly Earth Station, expanding space-to-earth network.

April 2026

• York Space Systems agreed to acquire terminal developer ALL.SPACE in a US$355m deal;
• HawkEye 360 filed to go public, reporting US$99m in revenue in 2025;
• NorthStar Earth & Space filed to go public through a SPAC deal valuing the company at US$300m;
• Amazon agreed to acquire Globalstar and deploy its own D2D satellite system; and
• Phantom Space Corporation acquired Thermal Management Technologies (TMT) to accelerate the development of its planned orbital data centre constellation and further its vertical integration strategy.

FINANCE

May 2026

• Observable Space raised US$90m to scale manufacturing;
• Tomorrow.io raised US$35m in funding to accelerate its next-gen DeepSky satellites and AI capabilities;
• Star Catcher raised US$65m to fund building a power grid in space;
• Cowboy Space raised US$275m to build an orbital data centre constellation;
• Skyroot Aerospace, an Indian launch startup, raised US$60m in funding;
• Lunar Outpost raised US$30m;
• Astranis raised US$300m to increase production for commercial and US Government customers; and
• Scout Space raised US$18m to expand manufacturing.

April 2026

• Orbcomm closed a US$460m refinancing to support expansion;
• True Anomaly raised US$650m for investment in ‘space dominance at scale’;
• Univity, a French constellation startup, raised US$32m to develop a VLEO connectivity constellation;
• Atmos Space Cargo raised US$30m;
• Turion Space raised US$75m to expand its satellite fleet;
• Citra Space raised US$15m to expand its platform;
• Portal Space Systems raised US$50m to grow its team and expand manufacturing;
• Starfish Space raised around US$110m to increase its team and boost production of its service spacecraft; and
• Antaris raised US$28m.

March 2026

• Starcloud, an orbital data centre startup, raised US$170m;
• Pave Space, a Swiss startup, raised US$40m to develop its propulsion system, hire staff and open an EU office;
• Voyager Technologies made a multi-million-dollar investment in Max Space to support research into developing lunar habitats;
• Eutelsat completed its US$5.8bn refinancing plan with a final US$1.7bn bond issuance;
• Vast raised US$300m and a further US$200m;
• Sierra Space raised US$550m; and
• HawkEye 360 raised US$23m.

LAUNCH OVERVIEW

SpaceX launched a rideshare mission, Starship on a suborbital flight, 28 Starlink missions, a cargo vehicle to the ISS, a GPS II Space Vehicle 10 for the US Space Force, a communication satellite for ViaSat, a smallsat rideshare for commercial and government customers and the EchoStar 25 satellite;

Rocket Lab launched a StriX satellite for Synspective, eight satellites for JAXA, two satellites for the European Space Agency, a SAR satellite for Synspective and an Earth-imaging satellite for an undisclosed customer.

The European Space Agency and Chinese Academy of Sciences collaborated to launch the Smile (Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer) mission to deploy solar arrays;

Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket exploded on its launch pad during a hotfire test, they also launched a BlueBird 7 satellite for AST SpaceMobile, who plan to file an insurance claim after it was deployed to the wrong location;

United Launch Alliance (ULA) launched 29 Amazon Leo satellites;

The Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) launched an electro-optical satellite from the Taiyuan Launch Centre in China;

NASA launched Artemis II; and

Arianespace launched 32 Amazon Leo satellites.