Liftoff 2025: Space Investment Trends to Watch
Welcome to the first edition of Launchpad!
What can you expect?
Stay ahead in the fast-evolving space industry with our Launchpad newsletter, your monthly guide to the latest hiring trends and key investment insights shaping space technology, aerospace and defense. From emerging start-ups to major acquisitions, this newsletter delivers industry informed analysis and market forecasts to help investors, entrepreneurs, and industry leaders navigate the opportunities of one of the fastest growing economies. Whether you are tracking venture capital trends or exploring groundbreaking innovations, Launchpad keeps you informed and inspired.
Investment Landscape
EARLY 2025 TRENDS: Private investments into the space sector are forecast to continue at a steady pace following on from the increasing trend in 2024, with the general space economy predicted to follow. Large aerospace and defense firms, along with sovereign wealth funds and private equity, increased strategic investments and acquisitions, fueling growth in established players. This consolidation channeled funding into fewer but more scalable and resilient companies.
NASA’s PREDICTED BUDGET: NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration 's 2025 annual budget is predicted to rise again to around $26B after falling in 2024. NASA is accelerating its Artemis missions to return humans to the Moon and establish a sustainable lunar presence. NASA has also prioritized Earth Observation missions to monitor climate change, natural disasters, and environmental shifts. With growing competition from China’s space program and other emerging space powers, NASA's need for leadership in space exploration has intensified.
SPACE TECHNOLOGY START-UPS: In the US, over $3.5B was raised by Q3 2024 - already exceeding the record high of $2.5B in 2022. Q1 of 2025 is expected to show similar figures, some of the key verticals attracting investment include space debris management, satellite communications and propulsion technologies.
The surge in R&D, satellite deployment, and commercial space services led to record-breaking global investment, fueled by venture capital, private equity, and government funding. Emerging markets like satellite internet, Earth Observation, and launch services attracted substantial funding, resulting in aggressive capital inflows.
HIRING TRENDS: Employment in the US space sector grew by 4.8% in 2024, and expected to grow by 5% in 2025, and is predicted to increase further with the growth in satellite manufacturing and space tourism. Sub-sectors like in-orbit servicing, Earth Observation analytics, and defense-related space systems expected to receive consistent funding which will impact on expansion and hiring patterns.
SECTOR GROWTH: By the end of 2024, the global funding landscape had begun to stabilize. Economic pressures, rising interest rates, and concerns over profitability led to more selective and cautious investments. Investors shifted focus from speculative R&D projects to companies demonstrating clear pathways to revenue and profitability.
Sector Specific Investments
Space Technology
领英推荐
Aerospace and Defense
EVONA Hiring Trends
Looking at our data of industry sector placements from December 2024 to January 2025, we can see a shift from intensive R&D and expansion toward operational scaling and infrastructure security.
Technical roles like GNC/Dynamics/Control Systems and Mechanical/Thermal/Structural saw notable declines, indicating a possible transition from development to deployment phases.
Meanwhile, growth in Cybersecurity and DevOps roles points to increased investment in securing digital infrastructure. A slight increase in Sales/BD positions suggests commercial efforts are stabilizing after prior growth.
Overall, these trends imply that 2025 will focus on operational efficiency, cybersecurity, and sustainable growth.
Looking Ahead
Thank you for joining us on this journey through the exciting world of space investment.
What are some of the innovations you are looking forward to from the year ahead? We would love to hear from you!
Interested in general industry news? Check out our other EVONA newsletter Space Minds to stay up-to-date on what is happening in the wider world of space technology, aerospace and defense.
Stay curious and stay inspired.
Until next month!
"Mechanical Building Services Supervisor Engineer" at "Organization of Building Engineering System"
3 周"Hello,,Very helpful,,,,"
President & CEO
1 个月Denver space port?
Empirical Astrophysicist
1 个月What technology do UAP's use to create 700 g's of acceleration, effortlessly travel at 23,000 mph, and avoid our radar with pure acceleration? It's called quark-electron plasma. It's what a black hole is made of. It is the least dense matter in the universe. It will pull spacecraft through space, not push. Pushing is a sign of a finite fuel source that will not help us travel space effectively. Quark-electron plasma is what fusion is supposed to be. It creates the elements on its surface starting with neutrons and uses the beta minus decay reaction to create the rest. QEP is the energy that creates helium. We must start developing this technology immediately but science is steered with money. Fusion is an unfalsifiable fact. No matter what has happened in the last 70 years, hundreds of billions continue to go into it mindlessly. It is impossible for any other choice to exist. This makes who gives out the money the true scientists. This is metaphysical science. I am an insignificant empirical scientist. The Big Bang was nothing but our universe turning itself into a gargantuan particle collider that created quark-electron plasma shrapnel as the expanding galaxies. They were all created instantaneously with all their energy.