ISAMState of the Space Industry 2026

The State of ISAM 2026

It’s becoming increasingly impossible to cover ISAM as a single idea.

ISAMVC/PE

Starfish Closes $100M+ Series B

Point72 Ventures led the round, which was also co-led by Activate Capital and Shield Capital.

ISAMStartups

Exclusive: In-Orbit Manufacturing Startup Dispatch Emerges from Stealth

Dispatch emerged from stealth this week with $500,000 in funding to build an uncrewed space station that will host manufacturing infrastructure on orbit

BusinessEuropeGEOISAM

Infinite Orbits Expands into the UK with Lúnasa Acquisition

French in-orbit servicing startup Infinite Orbits is on a buying streak.

ISAM

Spaceium Tests Robot Gas Attendant Piece in Orbit

They flew an actuator on SpaceX’s Transporter-15 mission in November that—when tested in orbit—achieved a 0.003-degree rotation accuracy.

EquitiesISAMTechnology

Momentus and NASA Will Collab on RPO Demo

The mission will test technologies including multispectral satellite inspection, formation flying, and WiFi-based inter-satellite links.

EuropeISAM

UK to Invest Nearly £1M In In-Orbit Manufacturing

UKSA awarded contracts to three companies worth a combined $1.1M+ to advance in-orbit manufacturing.

DebrisISAMMilitary

Starfish Wins SDA Deorbit-As-A-Service Contract

Starfish says this marks the first contracted mission for end-of-life satellite disposal services, in comparison to typical missions that treat disposal as a one-off or a demo. 

ISAMISSTechnology

Voyager Details its Plans for In-Space Manufacturing

Voyager Technologies secured a patent from the US government covering its unique process of manufacturing crystals in microgravity to support the future of optical communications.

InternationalISAMStartupsVC/PE

Aule Space Raises $2M to Build Life Extension Jet Packs

Satellites don’t have many options when they run out of fuel, but a wave of startups are attempting to crack refueling on orbit. Aule Space is taking a straightforward approach: jetpacks.

ISAMISS

United Semiconductors, Aegis Aerospace Partner on In-Space Manufacturing Platform

Forget offshoring—the future of manufacturing is off-world.

BusinessISAM

Space Forge Ignites Plasma in Space

On the last day of the year, the in-space manufacturing startup said it successfully generated plasma aboard its ForgeStar-1 craft in LEO. The manufacturing furnace aboard the sat reached temperatures north of 1,000°C, which is essential for the orbital semiconductor manufacturing that the company is hoping to achieve.

BusinessISAM

Starfish, Impulse Partner on Remora RPO Mission

Starfish Space and Impulse Space teamed up quietly this year to conduct an RPO demo in orbit, bringing spacecraft to within 1,250 meters of each other autonomously.  The mission, called Remora, proves RPO missions do not require expensive hardware or custom-built spacecraft, as has historically been the case. Starfish added one camera and its software…