We’ve officially closed out the first half of 2026—and investments in the space industry are blasting off.
More than $6.6B has been invested in the space industry in the first half of the year, according to data compiled by our friends at Payload Pro.
Look back: If rounds that used to raise eyebrows now seem commonplace, it’s not your imagination.
The largest round raised in 2025 was Stoke Space’s $510M Series D. In just the first half of 2026, at least six companies have brought in $500M or more in funding—and Stoke added another $350M to its mega round.
Spread the wealth: The funding isn’t concentrated in one sector of the space industry, or one geographical location. This is a case where a rising rocket lifts all payloads, around the world.
- Some of the biggest rounds in the half were raised by companies working on launch, infrastructure, space stations, communications, propulsion, orbital compute, bus building, and EO.
- Significant rounds were raised by companies in the US—but also in Finland, Germany, Spain, and China.
- There’s also diversity in the pool of investors putting money into the space industry, with no one VC firm dominating the market.
Big ticket: Some of the biggest rounds of the half include:
- iSpace’s $729M fundraise
- True Anomaly’s $600M Series D
- Sierra’s $550M Series C
- ICEYE’s $520M Series F
- Impulse Space’s $500M Series D
- Vast’s $500M funding influx, which included a $300M Series A
What’s next: Will the momentum continue into the second half of 2026? While government investment in space—and a clear demand signal—is expected to remain high, we’ll be watching to see if things change post-SpaceX IPO.
Sophia Space Raises $7M, Taps Apex for 2027 Demo Flight
The orbital-compute startup today announced new fundraising—as well as a demo flight with Apex. Both initiatives are aiming to position the company to begin deploying its edge compute hardware in-orbit.
Ubotica Raises $11M for Satellite-Based AI Tech
The Dublin-based space AI company raised $11M today to accelerate the commercialization of its AI-powered intelligence platform for maritime security.
ElevationSpace Closes $40M Series B
The Japanese satellite reentry startup raised a $40M Series B, bringing the company’s total amount raised to $63.5M.
Instinct Space Unveils Plans for Low-Cost Lunar Landers
Instinct Space announced a significant pivot today from helping lunar surface missions find their way to getting in on the surface action itself.
Latitude announced an agreement with Oman’s Etlaq Spaceport this week, giving the French launcher clearance to stage the debut launch of its rocket from Omani shores in late 2027.
While the international partnership stands out in an era of increasing focus on European launch sovereignty, it’s just the latest in a growing number of partnerships between space organizations in Europe and the Middle East.
Changes in latitude, changes in attitude: Latitude’s choice to launch from Oman was strictly an economic decision, according to Olivier Zarrouati, chair of Latitude’s strategic committee.
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