Rounding up the space unicorns

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 30 privately held space companies with unicorn status, meaning they are valued at $1 billion or more. Roughly two-thirds achieved that status since the beginning of 2025. Notably, more than half of those that became unicorns since January were founded within the past five years.