Top 6 Cargo Spacecraft startups

Updated: Mar 19, 2026
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These startups are developing cargo spacecrafts for satellite deployment, space station resupply, lunar exploration, asteroid mining, interplanetary logistics, etc.
1
SpaceX
Country: USA | Funding: $11.8B
SpaceX is Elon Musk's leading space company, having achieved numerous advances in rocket propulsion, reusable launch vehicles, human spaceflight and satellite constellation technologies. It's the dominant global launch provider, surpassing all others in launch frequency. Its Falcon rockets launch 1-3 times per week. The company operates its own Starlink satellite constellation, which provides satellite internet worldwide. SpaceX also builds Dragon capsules for delivering human missions to the space station. It's building Starship, the largest launch vehicle in history, which aims to fully realize the company's vision of a fully reusable, cost-effective and adaptable launch vehicle. SpaceX is also developing its own spacesuit and astronaut as part of its Polaris program and human lander for lunar missions as part of the Artemis program.
2
Rocket Lab
Country: USA | Funding: $2B
Rocket Lab delivers a range of complete rocket systems and technologies for fast and low-cost payload deployment.
3
Sierra Space
Country: USA | Funding: $1.7B
Sierra Space is a commercial space company that specializes in the development of advanced space technologies and solutions. Sierra is also developing a reusable vehicle called Dream Chaser, with the aim of using it to deliver cargo and crew to and from its station.
4
Firefly Aerospace
Country: USA | Funding: $796.6M
Firefly Aerospace provides launch vehicles, spacecraft, and in-space services for small payloads. Firefly’s on-orbit services include deorbiting services to help minimize space debris. Firefly’s lunar lander is flying annual missions to the Moon with payload services customized to the technology and exploration goals of each customer.
5
Impulse Space
Country: USA | Funding: $525M
Impulse Space develops orbital maneuvering vehicles for last-mile cargo delivery.
6
Atmos Space Cargo
Country: Germany | Funding: €19.4M
ATMOS Space Cargo develops and manufactures space capsules to return cargo from space, microgravity experiments to entire rocket stages.
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Boris Maslennikov
Editor: Boris Maslennikov
Boris Maslennikov is a senior editor for Space-Startups. He has spent more than a decade covering the global space industry as a business journalist. He earned a Ph.D. in planetary sciences from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a bachelor’s degree with honors in geophysics and planetary science from the California Institute of Technology. In his free time, Boris enjoys studying history and mathematics, with a particular interest in the history of mathematics. You can contact Boris at borismaslenikov(at)space-startups(dot)com