Space-technology companies raised a record $20.8 billion in the third quarter of 2026, according to the latest SpaceTech Investment Tracker from Seraphim, a space-focused investment firm. That is more than two and a half times the previous quarterly high of $8.0 billion, set in the first quarter of 2026, and up from $7.4 billion in the second quarter.
All the figures here are Seraphim’s own data, published in its quarterly report on 14 October 2026.
One giant deal, but not only one
Nearly half the total came from a single deal: Blue Origin’s $10 billion round, its first external funding, which Seraphim calls the largest private financing in the sector’s history.
Even without Blue Origin, investment reached $10.8 billion, which Seraphim says beat every previous quarter. Over the past 12 months, investment totalled $40.1 billion, or $30.1 billion without Blue Origin, compared with $11.4 billion in the 12 months to the third quarter of 2025.
Where the money went
Seraphim counted a record 216 funding rounds in the quarter, up from 140 in the previous three months according to Reuters, with more money going to later-stage companies. The biggest rounds after Blue Origin were:
- Hadrian, $1.37 billion (Series D);
- Stoke Space, $1 billion (Series E); and
- K2 Space, $500 million (Series D).
Most money went into hardware. Companies in “Space Access”, mainly launch and rocket firms, raised $16.4 billion across 120 deals, and all ten of the quarter’s biggest deals were in launch or satellite-building businesses, Seraphim said.
China also set records, with 49 deals and $3.3 billion raised, according to the report.
“Capital is following evidence of commercial and institutional demand, not just residual IPO enthusiasm,” Lucas Bishop, vice president at Seraphim Space, told Reuters. He said defence and government demand is increasingly supporting investment in launch, manufacturing and orbital infrastructure.
What this means
- Space investment has hit a new level. Even without Blue Origin’s round, the quarter was a record.
- Launch is where the money is. Investors are backing rockets and manufacturing, helped by defence demand.
- These are one firm’s figures. Seraphim compiles the data and is itself a space investor.
Sources
- Seraphim Space, “SpaceTech Investment Tracker Q3 2026”, 14 October 2026. https://seraphim.vc/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/seraphimspaceUK-q3-2026_Final.pdf
- Reuters, “Space Startups Secure Record $20.8 Billion Funding as Infrastructure Bets Surge, Report Shows”, 14 October 2026, via US News. https://money.usnews.com/investing/news/articles/2026-10-14/space-startups-secure-record-20-8-billion-funding-as-infrastructure-bets-surge-report-shows
