NSR Report: Space Investments in 2020 Hit $7.7B in Record Year
With VCs Returning to Business as Usual, Investment in Space Reaches $36 Billion Since Turn of Century
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., March 29, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — NSR’s Emerging Space Investment Analysis, 3rd Edition report (ESIA3) released today, shows $7.7 billion in funding was raised in 2020 alone, bringing the total since 2000 to nearly $36 B. “2020 was definitely a record year for space investment, with M&As, exits, and new rounds closing as we witnessed more enthusiasm and optimism in the prospect for the Space market,” states Shivaprakash Muruganandham, NSR Senior Analyst and report lead author.
The space investment scene, currently dominated by launch companies such as SpaceX and Blue Origin, is seeing a potential equilibrium take place between investment activity from Venture Capitalists (VC), traditional investors, and governments. Analytics companies that use space-derived data make up most of the recent newcomers in the satellite ecosystem but command less funding due to their lower-capital requirements. On the other hand, Earth Observation and Communications continue to mature and require larger amounts of funding to sustain their growth and pay for their infrastructure.
Recent announcements of Special Acquisition Companies (SPAC), the speedier and less regulation-heavy version of an IPO, have brought a new wave of fresh funding but also a sign that some early investors want a satisfactory exit.
“With excess capital on the market, and timeclocks on SPACs ticking down, NSR expects more space companies to go public in 2021,” explains Arthur Van Eeckhout, NSR Analyst and report co-author. “It will be very interesting to see how things pan out in the future, but right now, Space is a hot market for investors.”
About the Report
NSR’s Emerging Space Investment Analysis, 3rd Edition (ESIA3) analyses the dynamics and trends in the global new space investment landscape over the last two decades, with a particular focus on 2019 and 2020.
ESIA3 is the premier resource for assessing how private space companies are pushing the development of the commercial space sector. The report offers insight into this new ecosystem that is building innovative technologies and raising funds to new heights, in order to create critical infrastructure required for the future. The COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on emerging space companies’ funding is discussed, detailing how deal flows were impacted and investment perspectives changed during this time. Furthermore, the report offers business-critical insights on investments relating to 12 key sub-segments of the industry.
For additional information on this report, including a full table of contents, list of exhibits and executive summary, please visit www.nsr.com or call NSR at +1-617-674-7743.
Companies, Organizations, and Investors Mentioned in NSR’s ESIA3:
Accel, Airbus Bizlab, ASI (Italian Space Agency), Audacy, Audi, Axelspace, Bessemer Venture Partners, Bigelow Aerospace, Blue Origin, Boeing, Bradford Industries, Capella Space, Chang Guang Technologies, Cloud Constellation, CNES CosmiCapital, Deep Space Industries, Delta V, ELSE Astrocast, European Investment Bank (EIB), European Space Agency – Business Incubation Centers (ESA-BICs), exactEarth, ExPace (CASIC), Fleet, Founders Fund, GoldenSpike, GomSpace, Google, HyperSat, ICEYE, Intelsat, iSpace China, JAXA, Kepler Communications, kiwi-microgravity, LandSpace, LeoLabs, Lockheed Martin, Luxembourg Space Fund, Mir Corp., Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, NASA, Nexus Earth, NorthStar, O3b, OneSpace, OneWeb, Orbit Fab, Orbital ATK, PeptiDream, Planet, Planetary Resources, RocketLab, Roscosmos, Satellite Applications Catapult, Sequoia Capital, SES, Skolkovo, Sky & Space Global, Skybox Imaging, Softbank, Space Nation, Space Tango, Space Technology Incubation Centre (S-TIC), SpaceIL, Spaceport America, SpaceX, Spire, Starbust Accelerator, Stratolaunch, Swarm, Taranis, Terran Orbital, The Spaceship Company, Thuraya, Urthecast, Vector, Virgin Galactic, Virgin Orbit, Waypoint2Space, World View Enterprises, XCOR, and York Space Systems.
About NSR
NSR is the leading global market research and consulting firm focused on the satellite and space sectors, NSR’s global team, unparalleled coverage and anticipation of trends with a high degree of confidence and precision than the competition is the cornerstone of all NSR offerings. First to market coverage and a transparent, dependable approach sets NSR apart as the key provider of critical insight to the satellite and space industries.
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