Space Launch Contractors, VC-Backed Firms Fill Russia-Sized Void

The sudden departure of Russian rocket launch services from the space industry led to an immediate need for satellite and other tech companies to find alternatives to complete existing projects—and showed that the global market has enough mature participants to adapt to upheaval.

“If the US government stopped spending a dollar today on launch vehicles, the launch industry would continue. And that’s a change that came very quietly,” Jordan Noone, co-founder and general partner at deep-tech investment firm Embedded Ventures, said in an interview.

Attractive options for companies once dependent on Russian rockets and for new entrants into the industry ...