---
title: "Space investment in first quarter hits record as SpaceX IPO buzz lifts sector"
type: "News"
locale: "en"
url: "https://longbridge.com/en/news/283466122.md"
datetime: "2026-04-21T09:00:00.000Z"
locales:
  - [zh-CN](https://longbridge.com/zh-CN/news/283466122.md)
  - [en](https://longbridge.com/en/news/283466122.md)
  - [zh-HK](https://longbridge.com/zh-HK/news/283466122.md)
---

# Space investment in first quarter hits record as SpaceX IPO buzz lifts sector

-   Average deal size nearly doubles, led by Saronic’s $1.75 billion funding round
    
-   North America dominates funding, Europe and Asia also see strong investment growth
    
-   Capital increasingly targets in-space infrastructure like stations, data centers
    

By Akash Sriram

April 21 (Reuters) - Global investment in space companies surged to a record in the first quarter of 2026, driven by larger late-stage financing and growing investor enthusiasm over SpaceX’s public market debut, data from investment firm Seraphim Space showed on Tuesday.

Funding reached $7.95 billion during the quarter, nearly double the $3.93 billion in the previous three-month period, pushing the trailing 12-month investment to an all-time high of $18.8 billion.

Deal count also rose to 159 transactions, bringing the annual total to a record 654.

The increase in capital deployment was largely attributed to bigger cheque sizes rather than a sharp increase in deal volume, with average deal size climbing to $68 million from $35.1 million in fourth quarter. The largest transaction was U.S.-based Saronic’s $1.75 billion round, one of the biggest space financings on record, the report said.

“The market today definitely feels ‘risk-on’ with capital moving quickly into perceived category leaders,” said Lucas Bishop, investment associate at Seraphim Space, pointing to a convergence of tailwinds, including defense spending, renewed lunar ambitions and investor anticipation around SpaceX’s IPO.

A SpaceX IPO could provide a landmark liquidity event for early investors and employees, while also creating a valuation benchmark, improving exit visibility for venture-backed space companies. Elon Musk’s rocket maker ‌will host an analyst day ​on Tuesday, Reuters reported earlier this month.

North America accounted for roughly 70% of total funding in the first quarter, while Europe posted its strongest performance since 2022 and Asia contributed more than $1.2 billion.

Notably, investment has shifted beyond traditional satellite communications, with significantly more capital flowing into emerging segments such as in-space infrastructure, including space stations and data centers, reflecting a broadening of the sector’s addressable market.

Recent developments have also highlighted continued momentum in satellite connectivity, with Amazon (AMZN.O) saying last week it would acquire Globalstar (GSAT.O) for $11.6 billion.

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