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Sky-high valuations, emerging technologies and eager investors have created a new breed of startups that their financial backers see as central to the next phase of the space economy. A new analysis by SpaceNews counts more than 30 space companies with unicorn status, meaning they are valued at $1 billion or more and privately held. Roughly two-thirds achieved that status since the beginning of 2025. And many were founded within the past five years. See the list, and read Jason Rainbow’s full report from the latest issue of SpaceNews magazine on how investor expectations are moving beyond launch and classic satellite businesses into orbital data centers, space stations and other infrastructure once considered too speculative even for venture capitalists. Whether mapping your competition, screening vendors for contract awards or tracking risk in your portfolio, our space unicorn tracker is just one way a SpaceNews subscription unlocks the context you need to make smarter decisions faster. Through June 26, you can save 30% with code UNICORNS30* when you subscribe for unlimited access to SpaceNews.com, our new mobile app and our monthly magazine. Subscribe now Your team needs access to the authority the industry trusts. SpaceNews group subscriptions offer our best rates with muti-user plans for as few as two seats. Set up your team subscription for up to 20 users now or start a conversation with our team for broader access. *UNICORNS30 code must be applied at checkout to receive discount. New individual subscriptions only. One discount code per subscription. Renews automatically at full price. Cancel anytime. No refunds. Sales tax may apply. Digital magazine subscribers will receive their first issue within 4 weeks. Print magazine subscribers will receive their first issue within 4-8 weeks. Terms and conditions apply. This email has been sent to generalastronomy110.stnirp@blogger.com because you previously opted in to receive emails from SpaceNews. Unsubscribe here. Sign up for other SpaceNews newsletters.  SpaceNews.com  |  Advertise with SpaceNews Contact us  |  Privacy policy  |  Terms and conditions SpaceNews.com  |  Advertise with SpaceNews  |  Contact us  |  Privacy policy  |  Terms and conditions © 2026, SpaceNews, 100 Fillmore Street, 5th Floor, Denver, CO 80206, United States

Quantum Space wins a Pentagon contract

Plus: Blue Origin starts rebuilding its New Glenn pad

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06/18/2026 READ IN BROWSER 30% OFF ANY NEW SPACENEWS SUBSCRIPTION: Use code UNICORNS30 and save on unlimited access to our news and analysis, including our June cover story tracking the surge in space companies valued at $1 billion or more. SPONSORED BY By Jeff Foust In today's edition: Quantum Space wins a Pentagon contract for a refueling mission, Blue Origin starts rebuilding its New Glenn launch pad, an upgraded Ariane 6 launches 36 Amazon Leo satellites and more.  If someone forwarded you this edition, sign up to receive it in your inbox every weekday. Have thoughts or feedback? You can hit reply to let me know. NEW Download the SpaceNews app NEW Download the SpaceNews app All our reporting and analysis, on demand wherever you go. Available on Apple and Android devices. SPONSORED At SES, we believe that space has the power to make a difference. That’s why we design space solutions that help governments protect, businesses grow, and people stay connected—no matter where they are. With integrated multi-orbit satellites and our global terrestrial network, we deliver resilient, seamless connectivity and the highest quality video content to those shaping what’s next. As a trusted partner to customers and the global space ecosystem, SES is driving impact that goes far beyond coverage. Learn more at SES. Top Stories Relativity Space announced Wednesday plans to launch a Mars orbiter mission in 2028 whose payload includes a NASA instrument suite. The company rolled out its Interplanetary Sciences Program, which it described as an effort to enable low-cost space science missions. The first of those missions will be a Mars orbiter with a radar instrument for studying subsurface ice and geology as well as Aeolus, a set of instruments provided by NASA's Ames Research Center for monitoring the planet's atmosphere. The spacecraft will also serve as a communications relay. Relativity did not provide technical details about the spacecraft, which will launch on the company's Terran R rocket that is still in development. [SpaceNews] Quantum Space won a Pentagon contract to develop a spacecraft capable of transferring propellant to satellites in geostationary orbit. The company said Thursday the contract, whose value was not disclosed, covers production of an orbital refueling vehicle using its Ranger platform, a maneuverable spacecraft designed for missions including satellite servicing, space logistics and other operations. The contract is funded by the Department of Defense's Operational Energy Capability Improvement Fund, or OECIF. The spacecraft will be ready for launch in 2028. [SpaceNews] A mission to attempt to raise the orbit of a NASA astrophysics spacecraft is ready for launch. The Link spacecraft built by Katalyst Space Technologies has been integrated with its Pegasus XL launch vehicle, with launch scheduled for June 27. Link will attempt to capture NASA's Swift gamma-ray observatory, whose low Earth orbit is decaying and is at risk of reentering as soon as late this year, and raise its orbit. At a briefing Wednesday, NASA and Katalyst officials argued that just getting Link ready for launch within nine months of contract award was a major success. They acknowledged the risks of trying to capture an unprepared spacecraft like Swift but said they believed they had time, once in orbit, to work through any issues. [SpaceNews] Blue Origin has started to rebuild the New Glenn pad damaged in an explosion last month. Speaking at the VivaTech conference in Paris on Wednesday, CEO Dave Limp said workers have finished cleaning up debris at Cape Canaveral's Launch Complex 36 from a May 28 explosion of a New Glenn rocket during a static-fire test. Reconstruction of the pad started Tuesday, he said, with plans to be ready to resume New Glenn launches there by the end of the year. Neither he nor company founder Jeff Bezos provided details at the conference about what caused the explosion. [SpaceNews] Other News An upgraded version of the Ariane 6 rocket launched three dozen Amazon Leo satellites Wednesday. The Ariane 64 lifted off at 8:21 a.m. Eastern from Kourou, French Guiana, and successfully deployed 36 Amazon Leo satellites. This was the first launch of the Ariane 64 to use upgraded P160C solid rocket boosters, which increase the vehicle's payload capacity to low Earth orbit by more than two metric tons. That allowed this launch to carry 36 Amazon Leo satellites, versus the 32 on previous launches. This was the third Ariane 6 launch this year, with Arianespace planning seven to eight missions this year. European Space Agency officials said Wednesday they were studying options to increase the vehicle's launch rate, reviewing scenarios of between 12 to 20 launches a year. That would require significant infrastructure improvements, and ESA expects to decide by the end of this year what increase it would be willing to support. [SpaceNews] China says a Kuaizhou-11 launch whose outcome was in doubt was successful. The rocket lifted off at 11:58 p.m. Eastern Tuesday from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, but a lack of updates led to speculation the launch had failed. Chinese media reported more than 24 hours after the launch that the rocket successfully deployed a payload of CentiSpace navigation satellites into low Earth orbit, but provided no other details about the launch. [Xinhua] The French government will use the OneWeb constellation for secure communications. The French defense procurement agency DGA announced a contract this week with Eutelsat worth 138 million euros ($158 million) over four years to use OneWeb for secure communications for the French armed forces. The contract could grow to 350 million euros over eight years. The contract is intended to be a gapfiller until the IRIS² constellation is ready around 2030. [European Spaceflight] A Russian cosmonaut who flew on two International Space Station missions has died. Aleksandr Samokutyaev died Wednesday at the age of 56, Roscosmos announced, but did not disclose the cause of his death. Samokutyaev flew on two ISS missions, the first in 2011 and the second in 2014-25, spending a combined 331 days in space. He is the first member of an ISS expedition to pass away. [collectSPACE] Boring Is Good "I've come to appreciate boring hotfires." — Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp in a social media post Wednesday that included a video of a record-setting 41-minute static-fire test of a BE-7 engine developed for the company's lunar landers. FROM SPACENEWS Join us for our next conversation on Golden Dome: Much of the Golden Dome system will depend on space-based and ground-based sensors — an evolving network meant to detect launches, follow hypersonic weapons and monitor activity across Earth and orbit. On June 25, join us as leaders from Arcfield, L3Harris and LeoLabs discuss these technologies, what’s necessary to make them operate at a high level and what possibilities could be in the works for the satellites involved. Register now. 📨 Don't miss what's next. Sign up for other SpaceNews newsletters: NEW SpaceNews Mission Brief: Orbital Data Centers: A series explaining the latest developments in the rapid race to conceive, finance, develop and launch the future of on-orbit computing. Europe Report: Tracking the policy landscape, investment climate and regional priorities driving Europe’s space ambitions. First Up: Every weekday morning, Jeff Foust delivers the day's most important industry headlines. Military Space: Veteran defense journalist Sandra Erwin with weekly news and insights for the military space professional. China Report: Biweekly news and analysis from correspondent Andrew Jones on business, politics and technology in the Chinese space industry. SpaceNews Mission Brief: Golden Dome: Explaining the Golden Dome initiative and what it means for the space industry. Marketing Minute: Covering PR, marketing and advertising trends for industry communications leaders.  Editor’s Choice: Our most important recent stories you may have missed, with background and insights from editors, reporters and contributors. Opinions: A weekly digest of the latest commentary and analysis. SpaceNews This Week: The week’s top headlines and our conference coverage. Subscribe to SpaceNews This email has been sent to generalastronomy110.stnirp@blogger.com because you previously opted in to receive First Up from SpaceNews. Unsubscribe here. 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