Space Economy Market by Company
The commercial space economy is shifting from government-funded missions to private, reusable, recurring-revenue businesses. This sector tracks the public pure-plays and the major private players across launch, satellite communications, earth observation, direct-to-cell connectivity, and lunar access.
The Space sector on Sterling tracks 10 companies.
Space at a Glance
- •Reusable launch has cut the cost of reaching orbit by roughly an order of magnitude over the past decade, led by SpaceX. Rocket Lab's Neutron and Blue Origin's New Glenn are now entering the medium-to-heavy class.
- •Direct-to-cell is the newest commercial frontier. AST SpaceMobile and the Starlink and T-Mobile partnership aim to connect ordinary, unmodified smartphones straight to satellites.
- •Earth observation has matured into a recurring-revenue data business. Planet Labs and BlackSky sell imagery and analytics subscriptions rather than one-off satellites.
- •Commercial lunar access opened in February 2024 when Intuitive Machines' IM-1 Odysseus became the first private spacecraft to soft-land on the Moon, followed by Firefly's Blue Ghost in 2025.
The Players
| Company | Founded |
|---|---|
| Blue OriginPrivate | 2000 |
| Iridium CommunicationsIRDM | 2001 |
| SpaceXSPCX | 2002 |
| Rocket LabRKLB | 2006 |
| Planet LabsPL | 2010 |
| Intuitive MachinesLUNR | 2013 |
| BlackSkyBKSY | 2013 |
| Firefly AerospaceFLY | 2017 |
| AST SpaceMobileASTS | 2017 |
| RedwireRDW | 2020 |
Where They're Based
The densest space hub on Earth. Long Beach, Hawthorne, El Segundo, and Redondo Beach pack in more rocket and satellite builders than anywhere else in the world.
Companies in the Space sector (10)
Related sectors
Frequently asked questions
What is the Space sector?
The commercial space economy is shifting from government-funded missions to private, reusable, recurring-revenue businesses. This sector tracks the public pure-plays and the major private players across launch, satellite communications, earth observation, direct-to-cell connectivity, and lunar access.
Which companies lead the Space sector?
Sterling tracks 10 companies in Space, led by Rocket Lab (RKLB), AST SpaceMobile (ASTS), Intuitive Machines (LUNR), Planet Labs (PL), Redwire (RDW) and BlackSky (BKSY).
How can I invest in the Space sector?
Publicly traded names in Space include Rocket Lab (RKLB), AST SpaceMobile (ASTS), Intuitive Machines (LUNR), Planet Labs (PL) and Redwire (RDW). Compare them side by side on Sterling. Data last updated June 18, 2026.