Space Logistics Companies

Founded in 2011 by Luca Rossettini and Renato Panesi, D-Orbit pioneered space logistics as the first company addressing the industry's transportation needs. The company developed the ION Satellite Carrier, a proprietary orbital transfer vehicle providing last-mile delivery for satellites, first launched commercially in September 2020. ION performs complex orbital maneuvers including orbit raising, plane changes, and RAAN shifts, deploying satellites individually into custom orbital slots while reducing time-to-operations by up to 85% and constellation launch costs by up to 40%. Through 11 successful missions as of June 2023, D-Orbit has deployed over 100 satellites and demonstrated unprecedented capabilities like combined inclination and RAAN changes never before performed by an OTV. ION also hosts third-party payloads for in-orbit demonstrations and provides Space Cloud Services for edge computing and data processing in space.

Outpost

San Francisco, United States commercial

Founded in 2020 and based in San Francisco, Outpost is a space technology company focused on developing in-space services, in-space manufacturing capabilities, and spacecraft technologies. The company’s core offering is “Heatshield as a Service,” a modular reentry system designed to provide affordable and reliable return of payloads from orbit. Outpost aims to lower the cost and complexity of sample return and other reentry missions. Outpost’s team possesses significant expertise in in-space manufacturing and logistics, stemming from the founding team’s prior work at Made In Space – a company responsible for the first in-space 3D printers and fiber optic manufacturing – which was eventually acquired and went public as Redwire (NYSE: RDW). The company’s leadership also includes experienced professionals from Axiom Space, with a proven track record of securing substantial funding – over $500 million raised and $2.3 billion in contracts secured – and managing complex missions, including support for 12 astronauts and over 50 payloads. While specific missions are not detailed, Outpost is positioned to serve a growing market for in-space services and offers a potentially disruptive solution for affordable reentry, targeting both commercial and government customers. The company’s focus on modularity and service-based offerings suggests a strategy to democratize access to critical space logistics capabilities.

Epic Aerospace develops a family of orbital transfer vehicles called Chimera, positioned as last-mile delivery for small satellites. Rideshare launches drop payloads into a single drop-off orbit; a tug then carries individual satellites to the specific orbit each one actually needs, a service that has become more valuable as rideshare has displaced dedicated small launch. The company was founded by Argentine engineer Ignacio Belieres Montero and retains strong engineering ties to Argentina. Its vehicles are designed to span the range from low Earth orbit to geostationary orbit and beyond, and are intended to refuel and repeat transfers rather than be discarded after a single delivery. Epic launched Chimera LEO 1, a nanosatellite-class transfer vehicle, and flew a Chimera to geostationary altitude as part of Intuitive Machines' IM-2 mission, which launched on a Falcon 9 from Kennedy Space Center in early 2025.

Inversion Space

Torrance, United States commercial

Inversion Space is a California-based company developing reusable reentry capsules for rapid cargo return from orbit. Founded in 2021 in Torrance and a Y Combinator alumni, the company's flagship product is Ray — a heat-shielded capsule designed to deorbit cargo from the ISS or other orbital platforms and land at designated sites within hours, enabling time-critical applications like pharmaceutical manufacturing, materials science samples, and biotechnology experiments that require rapid return to Earth-based labs. Inversion distinguishes itself from competitors like Outpost Technologies through its emphasis on speed (hours, not days) and precision landing capability. The company has received backing from SpaceX (as a strategic investor), Founders Fund, and other venture investors, and is targeting the growing in-space manufacturing market that companies like Varda Space Industries and Space Forge are pioneering.

Orbit2Orbit is a Gold Coast, Queensland startup developing what it describes as the first dedicated orbital logistics network — reusable, modular and refuellable vehicles intended to move cargo, equipment and resources between space stations and other orbital assets. The company's stated aim is to make docking, servicing and resupply in orbit a repeatable service rather than a bespoke mission. The company was founded by chief executive Bradley Hatton-Jones, previously a manufacturing engineer at Gilmour Space Technologies working on the Eris orbital launch vehicle. Orbit2Orbit runs a Pathfinder program designed to reduce technical risk, cost and time to flight by letting payloads be developed once and matured incrementally, and has secured two Pathfinder missions scheduled for 2026. A separate Lab2Space activity offers microgravity research flights through international launch partnerships. Orbit2Orbit won an Australian Technology Competition award in June 2025 and raised a A$1.1 million bridge round in October 2025, reporting further letters of intent from Australian research and industry partners. In July 2026, Credissential Inc. announced a proposed acquisition of Orbit2Orbit Pty Ltd. The company has assembled a group of Australian suppliers spanning propulsion, robotics, power systems and advanced materials.