This article showcases our top picks for the best California based Space Travel companies. These startups and companies are taking a variety of approaches to innovating the Space Travel industry, but are all exceptional startups and companies well worth a follow.
We tried to pick companies across the size spectrum from cutting edge startups to established brands.
We selected these startups for exceptional performance in one of these categories:
- Innovation
- Innovative ideas
- Innovative route to market
- Innovative product
- Growth
- Exceptional growth
- Exceptional growth strategy
- Management
- Societal impact
Top California Space Travel Companies
Data sourced from Crunchbase and SemRush.
SpaceX
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Linkedin
Space Exploration Technologies is a space-transportation startup company founded by Elon Musk. SpaceX designs, manufactures, and launches advanced rockets and spacecraft.
SpaceX develops crew and cargo capsules, engines, cryogenic tank structures, avionics, equipment, guidance, and control software. The company is developing the partially reusable launch vehicles Falcon 1 and Falcon 9.
Founded in 2002, Space Exploration Technologies is headquartered in Hawthorne, California.. .
Learn more about the finances of this company on Crunchbase.
Virgin Orbit
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Linkedin
Virgin Orbit focuses on dedicated launches of small satellites.
Learn more about the finances of this company on Crunchbase.
Momentus
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Linkedin
As a first-mover in building in-space transportation and infrastructure technology, Momentus is at the forefront of the commercialization of space. With an experienced team of aerospace, propulsion, and robotics engineers, Momentus has developed a cost-effective and energy-efficient in-space transport system based on plasma water propulsion technology.
Momentus has in-place service agreements with Lockheed Martin, NASA, and various other private satellite companies, government agencies, and research organizations, and its first Vigoride™ transport system launch is scheduled for December 2020.. .
Learn more about the finances of this company on Crunchbase.
Astra
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Linkedin
Astra is a rocket launch startup that provides satellite delivery service and launch service. It offers online reservations for payload deliveries to both sun-synchronous and low inclination orbits.
Astra also offers dedicated launch services of 50kg-150kg payloads to 500km SSO reference orbit in 2020 and 2021. The company was founded by in 2016 by Chris Kemp and Adam with a mission to provide daily access to space..
Learn more about the finances of this company on Crunchbase.
SpinLaunch
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Linkedin
SpinLaunch is a stealth space catapult startup that aims to creates a much cheaper and sustainable way to get things like satellites from earth into space without chemical propellant. SpinLaunch plans to use a centrifuge spinning at an incredible rate inside a vacuum that reduces friction.
All that momentum is then harnessed to catapult a payload into space at speeds one source said could be around 3000 miles per hour. With enough momentum, objects could be flung into space on their own.
Alternatively, the catapult could provide some of the power needed with cargo being equipped with supplemental rockets necessary to leave the earth’s atmosphere.. .
Learn more about the finances of this company on Crunchbase.
Virgin Galactic
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Linkedin
Virgin Galactic is a commercial spaceline that creates commercial spacecrafts. It provides suborbital spaceflights to space tourists, suborbital launches for space science missions, and orbital human spaceflights.
It democratizes the access to space for the benefit of life on Earth.The astronaut experience will include weightlessness and stunning views of Earth from space onboard SpaceShipOne and SpaceShipTwo, spacecrafts designed by aerospace pioneer Scaled Composites. LauncherOne, Virgin Galactic’s orbital launch vehicle can carry satellites as large as 500 pounds into Earth orbit for historically low prices.
Founded on 2004, Virgin Galactic has a team of engineers, technicians, mission controllers, and many more professionals that continue to push the boundaries of technology and exploration. It is headquartered in Mojave, California..
Learn more about the finances of this company on Crunchbase.
Akash Systems
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Linkedin
Akash Systems is focused on developing and supplying the next generation of small satellites (CubeSats), satellite transmitters, and the RF Power Amplifiers. The company uses new composite material, gallium nitride (GaN)-on-Diamond, invented by Akash cofounder Ejeckam, for their products.
GaN-on-Diamond provides a cooler state of operation which improves energy efficiency and reduces a system’s size, weight, and operating costs. Akash Systems was founded in 2016 by Felix Ejeckam and Ty Mitchell and is headquartered in San Francisco, CA..
Learn more about the finances of this company on Crunchbase.
SSL
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Linkedin
SSL, based in Palo Alto, California, is a leading provider of advanced spacecraft systems, with broad expertise to support commercial and government satellite operators and innovative space missions. The company designs and manufactures spacecraft for services such as direct-to-home television, video content distribution, broadband internet, mobile communications, in-orbit servicing, space exploration, and Earth observation.
As a Silicon Valley innovator for 60 years, SSL’s advanced product line includes state-of-the-art small satellites, and sophisticated robotics and autonomous solutions for remote operations.. .
Learn more about the finances of this company on Crunchbase.
Kairos Aerospace
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Linkedin
Kairos Aerospace provides large-scale, aerial monitoring of methane emissions. The company completed the first-ever basin-wide aerial survey for methane detection in its 2019 survey of the Permian Basin.
Kairos Aerospace’s mission is to improve operational excellence for the oil and gas industry with cost-effective, efficient methane reductions at scale.. .
Learn more about the finances of this company on Crunchbase.
Orbit Fab
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Linkedin
Orbit Fab offers a supply of satellite propellant in Earth Orbit that expands the operational potential of new and existing space assets. It develops the infrastructure needed to grow a thriving in-space market for products and services that support both existing space businesses (communications and Earth observation) and new industries like space tourism, manufacturing, and mining.
The future for satellites is no longer restricted to the fuel they are launched with. Orbit Fab was founded in 2018 by its Co-Founders Daniel Faber and Jeremy Schiel..
Learn more about the finances of this company on Crunchbase.
Phase Four
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Linkedin
Phase Four is a provider of electric propulsion (EP) for small satellites. The company was founded in 2015 to accelerate the advancement of its core differentiator, the Radio Frequency Thruster (RFT).
The hallmark of Phase Four’s RFT is simplicity. Because the RFT omits a hollow cathode and high voltage electronics, three key improvements are realized: 1) a 10x materials cost savings versus legacy EP systems, 2) a significant decrease in the size of power electronics, and 3) propellant agnosticism.
In a first for EP, the Phase Four RF thruster accomplishes this while achieving performance in the same thrust, specific impulse (Isp), and efficiency class as legacy plasma propulsion solutions.. .
Learn more about the finances of this company on Crunchbase.
SpaceVR
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Linkedin
Founded in January 2015 by Ryan Holmes, CEO, SpaceVR is the world’s first virtual reality platform allowing users to #BeAnAstronaut and experience space firsthand 2000 floatation tanks across the globe with it’s patented pending waterproof, float tank compatible VR headset for super learning, deep therapy, and deep entertainment. Headlining with two unprecedented content pieces: Orbit Therapy and Language Learning.
The former allowing everyone to experience orbiting the Earth from SpaceVR’s LIVE satellite, reducing clinical depression and diagnosed anxiety as a therapy protocol. The latter will allow anyone to super learn a language in an unprecedented 30 days.
This is the beginning of hyper-accelerated learning humanity.. .
Learn more about the finances of this company on Crunchbase.
Broadband Discovery Systems
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Linkedin
Broadband Discovery Systems (BDS) is a technology innovation company that has created intelligent physical security, forensics, and access control solutions that offer unique event detection and assessment capabilities for the marketplace. BDS technology is U.S.
Government vetted and provides intelligent event detection by delivering actionable assessment information to users in commercial security, law enforcement, defense, and military markets.. .
Learn more about the finances of this company on Crunchbase.
Orion Span, Inc.
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Linkedin
Orion Span is building Aurora Station, the World’s Private Space Platform. Through technological innovation, Orion Span cuts the cost of living in space by an order of magnitude over others.
We will not rest until our shared destiny in the stars has been realized.. .
Learn more about the finances of this company on Crunchbase.
Bagaveev Corporation
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Linkedin
Bagaveev is currently working on upper stage propulsion, turbomachinery and GNC.
Learn more about the finances of this company on Crunchbase.
Beyond Earth
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Linkedin
Beyond Earth builds small rockets to provide dedicated CubeSat launches to low-earth-orbit on short notice.
Learn more about the finances of this company on Crunchbase.
Arcturus UAV
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Linkedin
Arcturus UAV – Complete Unmanned Aircraft Systems.
Learn more about the finances of this company on Crunchbase.
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Linkedin
Jet Propulsion Laboratory is a federally funded research and development center and NASA field center for the construction and operation of robotic planetary spacecrafts and the operation of NASA’s Deep Space Network. It is currently engaged in projects such as the Mars Science Laboratory mission, the Cassini–Huygens mission orbiting Saturn, the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, the Dawn mission to the dwarf planet Ceres and asteroid Vesta, the Juno spacecraft en route to Jupiter, the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) X-ray telescope, and the Spitzer Space Telescope.
Its space flight operations facility and twenty-five-foot space simulator are designated national historic landmarks Jet Propulsion Laboratory is managed by the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. It was formed in October 31, 1936, based in La Cañada Flintridge, California..
Learn more about the finances of this company on Crunchbase.
OffWorld
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Linkedin
OffWorld is OffWorld developing a new generation of universal industrial robots to do the heavy lifting on the Moon, asteroids and Mars.They envision millions of smart robots working under human supervision on and offworld, turning the inner solar system into a better, gentler, greener place for life and civilization.They can’t simply export the 20th century heavy industrial paradigm offworld. So in pursuit of their offworld aspirations, they are reinventing how they mine, process, manufacture and build cities on Earth.
They’ve launched dozens of satellites. They’ve built air-breathing rocket engines.
They’ve built orbital spacecraft. They’ve built dozens of robots.
They’ve run global technology companies. They have run large infrastructure projects.
Collectively, they have been learning and gearing up for this challenge for 150 years.. .
Learn more about the finances of this company on Crunchbase.
Leo Aerospace
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Linkedin
Leo Aerospace is building a dedicated delivery service for microsatellites. Their mission is to make it as easy to put a satellite into space as it is to ship a package across the country.
To achieve this, they’re developing a suite of services to launch on-demand to any low earth orbit. Their systems require zero fixed ground infrastructure and provide high launch frequency.
After a successful launch-test campaign at the end of 2018, they are poised to service defense and civil customers with their platform in 2020.. .
Learn more about the finances of this company on Crunchbase.
Tesseract
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Linkedin
Tesseract is a provider of cost effective propulsion components and systems for in-space applications.
Learn more about the finances of this company on Crunchbase.
Shuttle
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Linkedin
Shuttle is the world’s first outer space travel company. Our mission is to open space up for everyone.
Shuttle is a luxury marketplace that connects people to space travel experiences enabling more commercial astronauts. A high-quality platform for consumers to easily discover and purchase commercial space flight tickets..
Learn more about the finances of this company on Crunchbase.
Millennium Space Systems
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Linkedin
Millennium Space Systems, a provider of agile, flight-proven small-satellite solutions.
Learn more about the finances of this company on Crunchbase.
Frontier Aerospace Corporation
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Linkedin
Frontier Aerospace Corporation was incorporated in 2014 and was formerly Frontier Engineering, founded in 1997 by Jim McKinnon. Jim’s extensive background in rocket propulsion and his desire to have the freedom to innovate and explore new technologies led him to start Frontier.Frontier focuses on conceptualizing, designing and proving-out innovative in-space and launch system rocket propulsion.
They seek out government research grants and contracts as well as invest internal resources to develop innovative technology primarily in the areas of booster rocket engine components, reaction control thrusters, attitude control propulsion systems and deep space exploration thrusters.. .
Learn more about the finances of this company on Crunchbase.
EXO Technologies
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Linkedin
EXO Technologies is taking an innovative approach by developing software based GPS solutions that enhance modern day receivers. By correcting satellite orbit error and clock error at a level never seen before, they have eliminated the inherent error sources within navigation messages.
Additionally, EXO algorithms reduce complementary errors and construct a full positioning solution.. .
Learn more about the finances of this company on Crunchbase.
Gamma Alloys
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Linkedin
Gamma Alloys offers lightweight aluminum alloys, reinforced with nanotechnology. It develops the next generation of lightweight alloys.
It also patented manufacturing procedures, utilizing nanotechnology, to reinforce metal alloys, such as aluminum, magnesium, and titanium alloys. Its materials now display properties previously unreachable and enable applications so far unimagined.
They can deliver customized products, from extruded bars to finished, machined components. It was founded in 2008 and is headquartered in Santa Clarita, California..
Learn more about the finances of this company on Crunchbase.
VACCO Industries
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Linkedin
VACCO Industries provides intelligent fluid control solutions for propulsion and life support systems. The company manufactures specialty valves, filters, and advanced fluid control products that deliver innovative engineered solutions to critical missions for defense, space, and commercial markets.
VACCO Industries maintains an effective management system to guarantee that the products and services meet all specified customer requirements. VACCO Industries was founded on 1954 and is headquartered in South El Monte, California..
Learn more about the finances of this company on Crunchbase.
Global Air Logistics and Training
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Linkedin
Global Air Logistics and Training is an innovative airborne systems delivering warfighter focused solutions. GALT provides simple, effective information capabilities to support all levels of war and to drive information to the lowest levels possible, enabling faster decision cycles and decisive results.
GALT uniquely focuses on architecture (not product) solutions, effective open systems integration, and rapid prototyping, fielding, and operations.. .
Learn more about the finances of this company on Crunchbase.
Advanced Rockets Corporation
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Linkedin
Advanced Rockets Corporation is an aerospace company with a focus on hypersonic flight systems.
Learn more about the finances of this company on Crunchbase.
NovaWurks
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Linkedin
NovaWurks is a California company that has developed modular satellites.
Learn more about the finances of this company on Crunchbase.
Neutrino Labs
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Linkedin
Mobile apps and devices
Learn more about the finances of this company on Crunchbase.
Automatski
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Linkedin
Intellectual Property & Equity Holding Company
Learn more about the finances of this company on Crunchbase.
Arrowhead Products
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Linkedin
Arrowhead Products designs, tests, manufactures and sells high-pressure metallic systems and low-pressure systems for the aviation industry.
Learn more about the finances of this company on Crunchbase.
Stellar Amenities
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Linkedin
Stellar Amenities designs highly functional and comfortable places in small spaces from Earth to Mars and everywhere in between.
Learn more about the finances of this company on Crunchbase.
Symvionics
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Linkedin
Symvionics is a Developer of hardware and software products
Learn more about the finances of this company on Crunchbase.
Birri
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Linkedin
Birri’s name sake company is grouped into an array of branded businesses, most of which, can be found at the groups portal website “birri.com”. The site provides access to our group services.
The Group seeks to create and maintain businesses that promote economic growth and development within an area or region, and to provide research and development services for governments, and for a variety of businesses and individuals – alike.. .
Learn more about the finances of this company on Crunchbase.
EXO Corp
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Linkedin
Developing a very low-cost small space-launch vehicle
Learn more about the finances of this company on Crunchbase.
Terralliance
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Linkedin
Terralliance is a technology-based exploration company that develops and uses aircraft-based remote-sensing platforms.
Learn more about the finances of this company on Crunchbase.
Infinity Aerospace
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Linkedin
Infinity Aerospace is a technology company working in the space and aircraft industry.
Learn more about the finances of this company on Crunchbase.
Aeroscraft
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Linkedin
Aeroscraft is a leading manufacturer of airships and aerostats.
Learn more about the finances of this company on Crunchbase.
The Arch Mission Foundation
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Linkedin
The Arch Mission Foundation™ is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt non-profit corporation designed to continuously preserve and disseminate humanity’s most important knowledge across time and space. The Arch Mission Foundation designs, builds, delivers and maintains curated long-term archives, housed in specially designed devices called Archs™ (pronounced “Arks”).
Archs are being developed with a variety of form factors to survive for long durations in space, as well as on the surfaces of planets, moons and asteroids.. .
Learn more about the finances of this company on Crunchbase.
Glactica
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Linkedin
Glactica is space exploration for mankind. For the time has come for humanity to take it’s next great leap.
Glactica.com. .
Learn more about the finances of this company on Crunchbase.
Advanced Onion
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Linkedin
Advanced Onion is a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business
Learn more about the finances of this company on Crunchbase.
Nycote Laboratories
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Linkedin
Nycote Laboratories manufactures liquid nylon protection coating that is a barrier against friction and conductivity.
Learn more about the finances of this company on Crunchbase.
Newport Artificial Intelligence
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Linkedin
NewportAI offers a suite of software applications for data-driven decision making empowering organizations to answer complex questions.
Learn more about the finances of this company on Crunchbase.
Hamby
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Linkedin
The Hamby Corporation has been a trusted partner for major defense and aerospace company.
Learn more about the finances of this company on Crunchbase.
Automatski Fundamental Research
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Linkedin
Automatski Fundamental Research has the mission of solving the toughest problems in the world. Ones which are considered unsolvable in a 1000 years given the current state of human technology and capability.
We have solved 50-100 of the underlying issues blocking human progress with the world’s toughest problems from space travel, to cancer cure, to reinventing machine/deep learning, artificial general intelligence, robotics, chip design, perfect environment/financial/economic prediction, automatic proofs etc. Including 7 NP-Complete and 4 NP-Hard Problems.
Including the N-Queens Completion Problem.. .
Learn more about the finances of this company on Crunchbase.
Unical Aviation
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Linkedin
Unical Aviation has been the industry’s go-to global supplier of aircraft parts and components for more than two decades. We began operations in 1990, focusing on consumable and expendable inventories.
Since then, we’ve built a strong foundation of enduring relationships with suppliers of every type, all around the world, and a massive inventory of parts—millions of them—ready to go, right now, wherever you need them.. .
Learn more about the finances of this company on Crunchbase.
Federal Manufacturingrporation
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Linkedin
Federal manufactures and distributes aerospace fastener products to the aviation industry.
Learn more about the finances of this company on Crunchbase.
Innovative Algorithms
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Linkedin
Innovative Algorithms offers UGS, cameras with machine vision, repeaters, sensors, RF smart switch & cyber products for security & defense.
Learn more about the finances of this company on Crunchbase.
This article was written by Gabrielle Thompson from Lifney. The editor for this article was Tess Page. If your company is featured in this article and you want to have amendments made please contact us on: Admin@lifney.com.
Alternatively you may write to us at: Lifney/Fupping Ltd, First Floor, 61-63 Rochester Pl, London NW1 9JU.
