As the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing approaches on July 20, there are some startups and investors dissatisfied with simply staying put in the confines of our big blue marble.
While the Russia-US space race is past its peak, a new space race is forming in the private sector that could potentially dwarf the accomplishments of that historic day in 1969. Powered by VC dollars, some well-known entities, such as SpaceX, are shooting for the stars with hopes of a potential landing on Mars. Various lesser-known startups, such as satellite imagery analytics provider Descartes Labs and satellite launch services provider Rocket Lab, are working to enhance life on Earth and support the missions of their peers.
With privately funded space exploration still in its relative infancy, only two VC investors have deal counts in the double digits, leaving plenty of room for both startups and investors to mutually rise up.
Here are the top 10 VC investors in space technology worldwide since the start of 2010, per PitchBook data (including multiple deals for the same company):