VC/PE
Stories about how space companies are raising money to take on next-gen missions.
mPower Technology Raises $21M Series B
Space solar power startup mPower Technology closed a $21M Series B to help scale production of its solar modules.
True Anomaly Raises $260M Series C
While the company has only sent three of its Jackal satellites to LEO so far, its goal is to take on higher and higher orbits with Jackal missions to GEO and cislunar space as soon as next year.
Apex Raises $200M Series C
“Demand has increased more than production capacity has,” CEO Ian Cinnamon told Payload. “This allows us to vertically integrate faster, and buy more parts ahead of time and stock inventory.”
Lockheed Martin Invests $2M in Farcast
Farcast’s technology aims to increase the US military’s satcom connectivity, especially for highly mobile troops. The company’s main competitive advantage, however, may lie in its high-quality user terminals produced at low cost.
Northwood Raises $30M Series A
Alpine Space Ventures and a16z led the round, which also included participation from Also Capital, Founders Fund, and Stepstone.
Aetherflux Raises $50M Series A
Index Ventures and Interlagos led the round, which also included participation from Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, NEA, and actor Jared Leto, among others.
Charts Defining the Space Industry in Q1 ‘25
Despite turbulence in public markets, Q1 private space dealmaking was strong—particularly for the launch sector.
Magdrive Propels US Expansion With $10.5M Seed Round
Magdrive’s thruster uses electricity gathered from solar panels to turn its solid metal propellant into hot plasma, which is then ejected from the thruster to provide movement in microgravity.
Karman+ Raises $20M For Asteroid Mining Demo
Multiple civil space agencies have made recent trips to asteroids. Karman+ is betting it can achieve similar results with drastically less capital.
K2 Space Raises $110M Series B
The company will hire more engineers to continue its “ruthless approach to driving down costs,” according to head of strategy John Plumb.
AscendArc Raises $4M for its Small GEO Sats
AscendArc emerged from stealth this morning with $4M in funding to develop small GEO communication satellites.
Spaceium Closes $6.3M Seed Round
Spaceium, an in-orbit refueling service, raised a $6.3M seed round led by Initialized Capital with participation from 15 additional VC firms and angel investors. The Y-Combinator-backed startup plans to use the funding to demonstrate its refueling technology in orbit and expand its team. “Fuel for spacecraft is a massive bottleneck in the industry,” Spaceium CEO…
FUSE Launches Space-Focused VC Program
The new FUSE Space Program will invest $1M in early space companies. The CEOs of Quindar and Lumen Orbit will serve as scouts, helping to find founders and ideas that would make good investments.
