Research Methodology

Primary Sources

Our research team prioritizes authoritative, first-party sources to ensure accuracy and currency. Primary sources form the foundation of every company profile:

• Company websites and official communications: Corporate websites, investor relations pages, and official social media channels provide foundational information including company descriptions, leadership, products, and services.
• Regulatory filings: SEC filings (10-K, 10-Q, 8-K, S-1), international securities filings, and FCC license applications provide verified financial data, ownership information, and operational details for public companies and licensed operators.
• Press releases: Official announcements from companies and partner organizations regarding funding rounds, contracts, partnerships, and milestones.
• Patent databases and grant awards: USPTO, EPO, and international patent filings indicate technology development, while NASA SBIR/STTR awards and other government grants provide insight into early-stage companies.
• Conference presentations and industry events: Presentations at major conferences such as IAC, Space Symposium, SmallSat, and SATELLITE provide current information directly from company representatives.

Secondary Sources

Secondary sources supplement and corroborate primary source information:

• Industry reports and market analyses: Reports from recognized industry analysts provide market context and independent assessments.
• News coverage: Reporting from established aerospace publications including SpaceNews, Ars Technica, Aviation Week, and others provides additional verification and context.
• Academic publications: Peer-reviewed papers and conference proceedings document technical capabilities and research partnerships.

Discovery Methods

Our team employs systematic methods to identify new organizations for inclusion:

• Industry news monitoring: Daily review of space industry publications and news sources
• Conference and event tracking: Review of exhibitor lists, speaker rosters, and presentation schedules at major industry events
• Funding announcement monitoring: Tracking of venture capital announcements, crowdfunding campaigns, and government contract awards
• Regulatory filing reviews: Monitoring of new FCC applications, launch licenses, and other regulatory submissions

Every organization profile undergoes verification before publication. Our standards ensure that users can rely on the accuracy of the information presented:

Multi-Source Verification

Key facts—founding dates, headquarters locations, and funding amounts—require confirmation from at least two independent sources. When sources conflict, we prioritize official company communications and regulatory filings over secondary sources.

Presence Verification

Before inclusion, we verify that organizations have an active web presence, including functional websites and professional social media accounts. Organizations without verifiable public presence are flagged for additional research or exclusion.

Financial Data Verification

Funding information is verified against press releases, SEC filings, or reputable news sources. We clearly distinguish between confirmed funding rounds and reported estimates, and note when funding information is unavailable or undisclosed.

Status Classification Criteria

Each organization is assigned a status based on specific criteria:

• Operational: Active business with confirmed activity within the past 12 months, including product releases, contract announcements, or financial filings
• Pre-revenue: Development-stage companies that have not yet generated significant commercial revenue but show active development progress
• Acquired: Companies that have been purchased by other entities, with acquisition date and acquirer documented
• Defunct: Companies that have ceased operations, entered bankruptcy, or show no activity for an extended period

Geographic Verification

Headquarters locations are verified against official company sources, regulatory filings, and corporate registration databases. We distinguish between legal headquarters, operational headquarters, and major facility locations where relevant.

Our taxonomy reflects the complexity of the modern space industry, where organizations frequently operate across multiple segments. We maintain over 138 categories covering all aspects of space industry activity.

Category Definitions

Each category has documented inclusion criteria based on an organization's primary business activities. Categories range from broad sectors (Launch Services, Satellite Communications) to specialized niches (Space Debris Removal, In-Space Manufacturing). Category definitions are reviewed periodically to reflect industry evolution.

Multi-Category Assignment

Organizations are assigned to multiple categories when their activities span different segments. A company building satellites and providing data services, for example, would appear in both Satellite Manufacturing and Data Services categories. Primary categories are distinguished from secondary categories based on revenue significance and strategic focus.

Taxonomy Maintenance

Our category structure undergoes quarterly review to ensure it reflects current industry structure. New categories are added as emerging segments mature, while underutilized categories may be consolidated. We monitor industry terminology and align our taxonomy with commonly accepted definitions while maintaining consistency in our historical data.

Maintaining current data across thousands of organizations requires systematic processes combining automated monitoring with human review:

Update Frequency by Data Type

• Stock prices and market data: Daily updates for all publicly traded companies
• Company status: Continuous monitoring with updates within 24-48 hours of significant changes
• Funding announcements: Updated within 48 hours of public announcement
• Company profiles: Comprehensive review on a quarterly cycle, with priority review for major industry players
• New company additions: Ongoing evaluation and addition of newly identified organizations

Automated Monitoring

Our systems monitor news sources, SEC filings, and other data feeds for changes affecting companies in our database. Automated alerts flag potential updates for human review, including funding announcements, leadership changes, and acquisition activity.

Manual Review Processes

Automated monitoring is supplemented by scheduled manual reviews. Every company profile is reviewed at least annually, with more frequent reviews for active, high-profile organizations. Manual review includes verification of website accessibility, confirmation of contact information, and assessment of operational status.

Handling Outdated Information

When information cannot be verified or appears outdated, we take a conservative approach. Unverifiable data is marked or removed rather than retained. Defunct companies are maintained in our database with clear status indicators, preserving historical records while clearly communicating current status.

Coverage Targets

We aim for comprehensive coverage of all significant space industry organizations globally. This includes commercial companies of all sizes, government agencies, research institutions, and industry associations. Coverage targets are established by segment and geography, with regular assessments of completeness.

Accuracy Verification

Regular audits sample company profiles for accuracy, verifying key data points against primary sources. Audit results inform process improvements and identify categories requiring additional attention.

User Feedback Integration

We actively encourage feedback from the space industry community. Company representatives may submit corrections or updates through our contact page, and all submissions are reviewed and processed according to our verification standards. User-reported errors are prioritized for rapid correction.

Error Correction

When errors are identified, we target correction within 24-48 hours for factual errors and within one week for less critical updates. Significant corrections are documented, and systemic issues trigger process reviews to prevent recurrence.

Every quantitative data point on New Space Tracker is either drawn from a primary source listed below or labeled as a New Space Tracker editorial estimate. Where we aggregate data ourselves (for example, our organisation count of 1661+), we label it as a New Space Tracker aggregation rather than attributing it to a third party.

Launch Data

• FAA Office of Commercial Space Transportation (FAA AST) — Annual Launch Report: US commercial launch volume, domestic launch-site activity, launch-cadence trends. Published annually; we use the most recent available edition. faa.gov/space
• Space Launch Report (spaceflight.com): Independent global launch-cadence tracking by year, vehicle, and nation. Used to cross-check agency figures and derive non-US launch counts.
• Agency press releases and manifest pages: SpaceX, ULA, Arianespace, JAXA, ISRO, CASC, and Roscosmos official launch manifests for vehicle-specific data.

National Space Budgets

• NASA budget justification documents: Published annually to Congress. Used for US civilian space spending. nasa.gov/budget
• ESA member-state contribution tables: Published annually by ESA. Used for European national contributions. esa.int
• National space agency annual reports: JAXA, ISRO, CNES, DLR, CSA, ASI, KASA, Roscosmos, and others. Exchange-rate conversions to USD use the Bank for International Settlements reference rate at time of publication.
• National government budget laws / Union Budget statements: Used for India (Department of Space allocation) and other countries where agency reports are not independently published.

Company Financial Data

• SEC EDGAR filings (10-K, 10-Q, 8-K, S-1): Revenue, market capitalisation, and disclosed funding for US public companies. sec.gov/edgar
• Company press releases and investor relations pages: Funding rounds and valuation figures for private companies, where publicly disclosed.
• Crunchbase public data: Secondary cross-reference for funding-round dates and amounts. Not used as a sole source.

Mission Status Data

• NASA, ESA, JAXA, ISRO, CNSA mission pages: Launch dates, operational status, and science outputs for agency missions.
• Space-Track.org (18th Space Defense Squadron): Satellite orbital parameters and tracking data.
• The Space Devs — Launch Library 2 (ll.thespacedevs.com): Cross-reference for upcoming commercial launch manifests. Open-source, community-maintained.

Astronaut Rosters

• Agency public rosters: NASA, ESA, JAXA, ISRO, CMSA, Roscosmos, CSA, and others publish active astronaut corps lists. Figures reflect rosters as of April 2026.

New Space Tracker Editorial Estimates

Where a reliable third-party primary source is not available — typically for classified budgets, privately held company figures, or emerging markets with limited disclosure — we label the data point as "New Space Tracker editorial estimate, Q1 2026". This label means our research team has made a reasoned judgment based on available secondary sources. It is not a fabricated number, but it is our estimate, not an authoritative figure, and should be treated accordingly.

What We Don't Use as a Sole Source

• Wikipedia — referenced only to locate primary sources
• Social media posts — used only when accompanied by an official company statement
• Paywalled analyst reports — referenced for context but not cited as primary

Accuracy is central to our mission. When errors appear—whether in company profiles, mission data, financial figures, or editorial content—we are committed to correcting them promptly and transparently.

How We Issue Corrections

Factual errors in company profiles or data records are corrected in place, with the profile's last-reviewed date updated to reflect the change. For substantive errors in editorial content or articles, we append a dated correction note to the affected page identifying what was wrong and what the correct information is. We do not silently delete or rewrite content to obscure prior errors.

Where Corrections Appear

Data corrections are reflected immediately on the relevant company or mission profile. Article corrections appear as a clearly labelled note at the top or bottom of the article, formatted as: Correction (DD Month YYYY): [description of change].

How to Report an Error

If you believe something on this site is incorrect, please use our contact page and include the URL of the affected page, the specific information you believe is wrong, and a source supporting the correct information where possible. Company representatives may also submit profile updates through the same channel. All reports are reviewed by our research team.

Turnaround Commitment

We target correction within 24–48 hours for clear factual errors and within one week for more complex updates requiring additional verification. Corrections that affect multiple pages trigger a broader review to ensure consistency across the database.