Space Resources & Exploration

Spanish deep-tech spin-off of the University of Valladolid — develops Raman-based gas sensors for space and terrestrial applications; ESA BIC Castilla y León incubatee.

Spanish astronomical observatory in the Sierra de los Filabres, Almería — operates 1.23, 2.2 and 3.5 m telescopes; run by CSIC and the Junta de Andalucía.

Spanish CSIC–INTA joint research centre — studies the origin and evolution of life in the Universe and builds instruments for planetary missions.

Aragonese public research foundation in Teruel — runs the Javalambre Astrophysical Observatory and the J-PLUS and J-PAS sky surveys for cosmology research.

Spanish public company in La Palma — built and operates the 10.4 m Gran Telescopio CANARIAS at the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory.

Produces certified lunar regolith simulants and lunar environment test platforms — enables companies to validate space hardware without travelling to remote analogue sites.

Spanish CSIC astrophysics institute in Granada — conducts astronomy research and builds space-borne instruments for ESA and NASA missions such as JUICE and PLATO.

Spanish astrophysics research institute — operates the Teide and Roque de los Muchachos observatories and develops instrumentation for ground and space astronomy.

Universidad de Alcalá space research group — leads the Solar Orbiter EPD instrument and designs onboard computers and software for satellites.

America's premier lunar logistics company — builds lunar landers, rovers and surface infrastructure for NASA CLPS and commercial customers. Developed Peregrine and Griffin lunar…

Develops small- to medium-lift launch vehicles, lunar landers and space tugs — operates the Alpha rocket, Blue Ghost lunar lander and Elytra space tug for government and commerc…

American lunar resources startup — developing technology to prospect for, extract and return helium-3 from the Moon for quantum and fusion markets.

Builds environmentally-controlled ETFE modules for sustainable farming on Earth and life-support systems for space — develops EBIOS habitat technology for Moon, Mars and terrest…

Leads America's return to the Moon — operates Nova-C lunar landers under NASA CLPS, builds the Lunar Data Network, and provides lunar surface access, data relay and space infras…

Develops lunar rovers and surface mobility systems — the MAPP rover operated at the lunar South Pole in 2025 and the company is a NASA Artemis Lunar Terrain Vehicle finalist.

Developing the first commercial artificial-gravity space station — builds Haven-1 (the world's first commercial space station) in partnership with SpaceX for long-term human hab…

American lunar mobility company — develops the FLEX rover family and lunar terrain vehicles for NASA Artemis and commercial payload delivery.

Develops space-based nuclear power systems using radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs) from nuclear waste — provides persistent power for satellites, lunar bases and dee…

French space equipment maker — designs mechanisms, reaction wheels, deployable systems and scientific instruments for satellites and exploration missions.

French NewSpace company — develops solar sails and modular deployable solar arrays (Gama Wing); flew the Gama Alpha sail demonstrator in 2023.

French CNRS and Université Paris-Saclay lab — studies the Sun, planets and cosmology and develops space science instruments.

French CNRS and Toulouse university lab — conducts space astrophysics and planetology and builds instruments such as SuperCam and SVOM payloads.

French CNRS/UVSQ/Sorbonne research lab — builds space instruments (spectrometers, radars, mass spectrometers) to study planetary and Earth atmospheres.

CNRS, Aix-Marseille University and CNES astrophysics lab in Marseille — builds space instruments such as Euclid's NISP spectrophotometer.

French CNRS/Observatoire de Paris laboratory in Meudon — designs and qualifies space instruments for astrophysics and planetary missions such as JAXA's MMX.

French astronomy and Earth sciences observatory in Nice — major role in ESA Gaia data processing and Euclid, hosts a CNES university space centre.

Bremen research centre of the German Research Center for AI (DFKI) — develops autonomous rovers and robots for planetary exploration and in-orbit tasks.

Kiel University space physics group — builds particle detectors for missions such as Solar Orbiter's Energetic Particle Detector and studies heliospheric physics.

Intergovernmental astronomy organisation — builds and operates ground-based telescopes in Chile, including the VLT, ALMA partnership and the ELT.

German Max Planck research institute — studies the Sun, planets, moons and small bodies and builds instruments for ESA and NASA space missions.

Berlin space robotics startup — develops modular CubeSat-based lunar rovers and flew its Tacheles CubeSat on NASA's Artemis II mission in 2026.

German space instrument maker — develops and qualifies scientific payloads, mass spectrometers and space electronics for agency and commercial missions.

Italian space engineering company owned by Thales Alenia Space and ASI — provides ISS engineering, logistics and mission control for exploration missions such as ExoMars.

University of Padova space research centre — develops instruments and technologies for missions such as Rosetta, BepiColombo and Mars Express.

Italian space research institute of INAF — develops instruments and science for space astrophysics, planetary exploration and space weather missions.

Italian INAF space astrophysics institute in Milan — builds detectors, electronics and software for missions such as XMM-Newton, INTEGRAL, Euclid and Athena.

Italian orbital dynamics company spun off from the University of Pisa — provides orbit determination, NEO impact monitoring and space safety software.

London space science company — operates small astronomy satellites such as Mauve and sells space science data to research institutions by subscription.

Durham University research centre — develops optical instruments, detectors and adaptive optics for ground and space telescopes, with space test facilities.

British space startup — develops modular spacecraft and a scalable roving platform for lunar operations, founded by Cambridge alumni.

British space-based solar power developer — designs the CASSIOPeiA satellite to beam solar energy to ground receivers by radio frequency.

UCL space research laboratory — builds space science instruments and has taken part in more than 70 satellite missions from Holmbury St Mary.

Produces Australia's first commercially manufactured lunar regolith simulant — high-fidelity testing material for Moon mission robotics, construction and research.

Delivers high-resolution lunar maps using 4D thermal modelling — supports mission planning, landing site selection, hazard avoidance and ISRU resource targeting.

Develops robotic manufacturing and post-landing space services — autonomous construction systems and life-support infrastructure for the Moon, Mars and beyond.

Develops the SPHERA Planetary Surveyor — a fully autonomous rolling drone for persistent exploration, mapping and ISRU resource surveillance on the Moon and Mars.

Swiss foundation in Bern — hosts international teams and workshops for interdisciplinary analysis of space mission data.

Swiss non-profit planetary research institute in Neuchâtel — leads the CLUPI close-up imager for ESA's ExoMars rover and contributes to planetary missions.

Swiss university research division — builds mass spectrometers and instruments for missions such as Rosetta, CHEOPS and JUICE.

Austrian space architecture and systems design firm — designs habitats, interiors and life-support concepts for ESA, EU and industry missions such as Gateway.

Austrian space science institute — builds magnetometers and on-board computers for ESA and NASA missions and runs satellite laser ranging in Graz.

Canadian space company in Bolton, Ontario — prime contractor for Canada's first lunar rover and maker of space cameras and lunar systems.

Canadian space software company — develops AI-enabled mission operations and autonomy software for lunar rovers and spacecraft.

Chinese Academy of Sciences institute in Shanghai — designs and builds small satellites, including BeiDou navigation and science missions such as DAMPE.

Chinese Academy of Sciences institute — leads space science missions, space weather research and payload development for China's science satellites.

Deemed university under India's Department of Space — offers degree and doctoral programmes in space science, technology and applications.

Autonomous Department of Space research unit in Ahmedabad — conducts space, planetary, solar and atmospheric science and builds mission instruments.

Develops Yaoki, an ultra-compact and lightweight lunar rover designed for high-frequency Moon surface scouting — targets frequent, low-cost lunar exploration missions.

Global lunar resource development company — designs and builds lunar landers and rovers for high-frequency Moon transport services.

Luxembourg research and innovation centre for space resources — set up by LSA and LIST with ESA as partner to support in-situ resource utilisation R&D and startups.

Luxembourg's national space agency — promotes commercial space activities and space resource utilisation.

Belgian federal research institute — studies planetary atmospheres and space weather and builds instruments for satellites and the ISS.

Bulgarian space research institute — conducts space physics, Earth and planetary remote sensing and aerospace systems research in Sofia.

Danish national space institute at DTU — researches astrophysics, Earth observation and geodesy and builds space instruments such as star trackers.

Estonian space research institute of the University of Tartu — works on astrophysics, remote sensing and space technology including student satellites.

Greek research institute of the National Observatory of Athens — works on space physics, space weather, astrophysics and satellite remote sensing.

Hungarian lunar exploration company — builds lunar rovers and instruments; its Lunar Water Snooper operated on the Moon on IM-2 in 2025.

University College Dublin space research centre — built EIRSAT-1, Ireland's first satellite, and leads CubeSat, gamma-ray detector and EO research.

Israeli non-profit behind the Beresheet lunar lander — promotes STEM education through deep-space missions.

Latvian radio astronomy institute of Ventspils University of Applied Sciences — operates the Irbene radio telescopes for VLBI, space research and satellite work.

University of Malta institute for space science and astronomy — runs astrophysics, space-debris tracking and high-altitude balloon projects.

UNAM space instrumentation lab — led the COLMENA lunar micro-robot mission and contributes to Mini-EUSO and nanosatellites such as NanoConnect-2.

Dutch national space research institute — develops space instruments for astrophysics, Earth science and exoplanet research, part of NWO-I.

Polish space research institute — builds scientific space instruments and conducts space physics, planetary and geodesy research in Warsaw.

Romanian space research institute — works on astroparticle physics, space plasma and space technologies, contributing to ESA and NASA missions.

Saudi national science and technology agency — has designed and built 13 Saudi satellites and runs space research incl. a 2026 lunar partnership with ispace.

South Korean government research institute — conducts astronomy, space science, space weather and space geodesy research and missions.

Swedish government research institute — studies space plasma, atmospheric physics and the solar system, with head office at the Kiruna space campus.

Thai national astronomy institute — tracks space objects and debris and develops satellite hardware with the Thai Space Consortium.

Abu Dhabi research centre of TII — develops rocket and electric propulsion and space exploration tech, incl. the UAE's first liquid rocket engine.