Space companies bring in $1.9bn during Q1, report says

Investors poured $1.9 billion into space infrastructure companies—those typically associated with the industry—in the first quarter of 2021, according to a report by New York-based firm Space Capital.

Private investment in space companies hit $1.9 billion in the first quarter, according to a report on Wednesday by New York-based firm Space Capital, continuing 2020’s record-breaking performance.

SpaceX’s $850 million raise and OneWeb’s $400 million financing were two “mega-rounds” leading the segment, followed by the raises of unicorns ABL Space and Axiom Space.

“The trend towards larger late-stage deals continued in Q1, with the top 10 rounds accounting for 77% of total investment,” Space Capital managing partner Chad Anderson wrote in the report.

“At the early-stage, we’re seeing larger deal sizes at higher valuations and looser terms as VCs push to deploy the historical amounts of capital they raised in 2020,” he added.

With several space companies expected to close SPAC deals in the second quarter, Anderson said he expects there will be about a dozen space SPAC deals in total for the year.