Eight Startups Selected for Space Station Accelerator Program
Winners to Split Access to Orbit and Up to $750,000 Each in Private Capital
Eight early-stage companies will gain access to the International Space Station and private investment capital through a national accelerator program.
“This year’s selected companies reflect the incredible breadth of innovation emerging across the growing space economy.”
Ray Lugo, CASIS
The ISS National Lab named the companies as the 2026 cohort of its Orbital Edge Accelerator, now in its second year. The program is run by the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space, or CASIS, which manages the ISS National Lab under agreement with NASA.
The eight startups are split across two tracks. According to the news release, each selected company will receive $500,000 to $750,000 in private capital funding, along with access to low Earth orbit for research and technology development.
The Sentinel Track, focused on space technologies and dual-use applications, includes four companies. Aspect Aerospace is developing a mass-producible small satellite intended for on-demand deployment in very low Earth orbit, with a single host spacecraft capable of releasing up to 100 units to form what the company describes as rapid-response swarms for positioning, navigation, timing, and sensing work. Mithril Space is building reshaping antenna reflectors for multi-orbit radar and space domain awareness. Polaris Semiconductor is developing compact power regulators for radio-frequency and communications systems in space. Vaxon Space is developing satellites with air-breathing propulsion for very low Earth orbit operations.
The Disrupt Track, focused on in-space manufacturing and space biology, includes Astrileux, which produces photomasks used in semiconductor manufacturing; Aura Life Science, which is adapting a cyanobacteria-based biomanufacturing platform for the space environment; Micro-gRx, which is developing cell-free nanomedicines using microgravity; and Tensr, which builds autonomous factories that manufacture robots.
The program’s investment partners include returning backers Cook Inlet Region Inc., E2MC and Stellar Ventures, along with new partners Context Ventures, Draper Associates and Draper University, the release said. The selected companies are also eligible for the Boeing-funded Technology in Space Prize, which the release said provides up to $100,000 in non-dilutive funding.
“This year’s selected companies reflect the incredible breadth of innovation emerging across the growing space economy,” said Ray Lugo, chief executive officer of CASIS. “By providing access to low Earth orbit, capital, and deep industry expertise, the Orbital Edge Accelerator is helping startups turn bold concepts into scalable solutions.”
The release said startups that have completed spaceflight projects through the ISS National Lab have cumulatively raised nearly $3 billion in venture capital and non-NASA grant funding.
Selected teams will travel to events in Anchorage, Alaska; Houston; Washington; Boston; and Los Angeles in the coming months, according to the release. The program culminates at a Demo Day in San Francisco in December, where each company will present its planned spaceflight project.