September 2026 was a breakout month for European space. Aerospacelab won €2.4B to build 264 IRIS² satellite platforms, ESA signed €760M with The Exploration Company for Nyx cargo flights to the ISS, and Isar Aerospace’s Spectrum reached orbit on its second flight, the first European commercial orbital launch. The Exploration Company also closed a $450M Series C, Open Cosmos raised €300M, and EnduroSat raised $205M.
In the United States, Stoke Space raised a $1B Series E ahead of Nova’s first orbital launch, Impulse Space added $308M after more than doubling its headcount, and Hubble Network raised $200M. NASA selected Blue Origin to build a Mars telecommunications orbiter worth up to about $700M and added three crew flights to SpaceX’s Commercial Crew contract, while Starship flew its first orbital mission on September 28.
Regulators moved as well: the FCC exempted satellite licensing from NEPA environmental review and opened more than 1,000 MHz of spectrum for satellite services, and the EU widened its Space Threat Response Architecture. Northwood Space opened a Torrance factory with 400 jobs planned over three years. No significant space-sector layoffs were confirmed by reputable sources this month.
Top 7 Hiring Signals
Stoke Space Raises a $1B Series E
Stoke Space’s Series E initial closing, co-led by Point72 Ventures and Spark Capital, brings its total funding to $2.3B. The money supports Nova’s first orbital launch, now planned for early 2027, along with manufacturing and launch capacity and the Nova Block 2 upgrade. Expect hiring across propulsion, structures, avionics, test, and launch operations in Washington and Florida.
Aerospacelab Wins €2.4B for 264 IRIS² Satellite Platforms
On September 10, Belgium’s Aerospacelab won a €2.4B contract to build 264 LEO satellite platforms for the EU’s IRIS² constellation, with first launches from 2029. Thales Alenia Space is separately supplying government payloads. A production program of this size should drive hiring in satellite manufacturing, integration and test, and supply chain roles in Belgium and across Europe.
The Exploration Company Raises $450M and Wins €760M From ESA
The Exploration Company closed a $450M Series C on September 8, co-led by Bessemer, Atomico, and the Scaleup Europe Fund. Two days later it signed a €760M ESA contract for a Nyx demonstration flight to the ISS plus two optional cargo flights. The combination supports hiring in capsule and propulsion engineering, manufacturing, and mission operations in Munich and Bordeaux.
NASA Selects Blue Origin for a Mars Telecommunications Orbiter
On September 1, NASA selected Blue Origin to deliver a Mars relay orbiter based on its Blue Ring platform under a firm-fixed-price award worth up to about $700M, with delivery by the end of 2028. The work supports hiring in spacecraft systems, deep-space communications, propulsion, and integration and test, including in Huntsville.
Isar Aerospace Reaches Orbit on Spectrum’s Second Flight
Isar Aerospace’s Spectrum reached orbit from Andøya, Norway, on September 5 and deployed its satellites, the first European commercial orbital launch and the condition for its ESA European Launcher Challenge contract. With the next five vehicles in production, demand should grow in production, test, mission assurance, and launch operations.
Open Cosmos Raises €300M to Scale Satellite Production
Open Cosmos’s €300M round, led by Lightrock, funds the scale-up of manufacturing across four European factories toward one satellite a day, along with its constellation, connectivity, and data businesses. That points to near-term hiring in satellite production, delivery, and Earth-intelligence product teams in the UK and Spain.
Northwood Space Opens a Torrance Factory With 400 Jobs Planned
Northwood Space opened a 185,000 sq. ft. headquarters and factory in Torrance, growing its manufacturing space from 25,000 to 135,000 sq. ft. to mass-produce phased-array ground stations, with 400 jobs planned over three years. Hiring should center on production, manufacturing engineering, RF, quality, and supply chain.
Stoke Space (United States) – Series E initial closing, $1B (September 8). Nova’s first orbital launch, manufacturing and launch capacity, and Nova Block 2. Source.
The Exploration Company (Germany / France) – Series C, $450M (September 8). The Nyx reusable capsule and Storm reusable engine. Source.
Space Epoch (China) – Series B++, ~$343M (September 16). The first orbital launch and recovery test of its reusable methalox rocket. Source.
Impulse Space (United States) – Series D extension, $308M (September 16), bringing the Series D to $808M. Product development and hiring after headcount more than doubled in a year. Source.
Open Cosmos (United Kingdom / Spain) – Growth round, €300M (September 14). Satellite manufacturing across four European factories. Source.
EnduroSat (Bulgaria / Europe) – Growth round, $205M (September 17). Serial satellite production, a new U.S. factory, and a space and defense hub near Sofia. Source.
Hubble Network (United States) – Series C, $200M (September 23). Growth from 6 to 60 Bluetooth-connectivity satellites. Source.
HyImpulse (Germany / Europe) – Series A extension, €50M+ (September 2). Scales suborbital and orbital launch services against an order book above €350M. Source.
Charter Space (United States) – Seed, $5M (September 30). Insurance products for space missions. Source.
Rocket Lab → Iridium (United States) – Shareholder approval of the ~$8B acquisition (September 24), with closing expected by mid-2027. Source.
Contracts and Grants
European Commission / SpaceRISE → Aerospacelab (Charleroi, Belgium) – €2.4B (September 10). 264 LEO satellite platforms for IRIS². Read more.
ESA → The Exploration Company (Munich / Bordeaux) – €760M including options (September 10). A Nyx demonstration flight to the ISS plus two optional cargo flights. Read more.
NASA → SpaceX (Hawthorne, CA) – $946M (September). Three more ISS crew rotations through 2030 under Commercial Crew. Read more.
NASA → Blue Origin (Kent, WA / Huntsville, AL) – up to ~$700M (September 1). A Mars telecommunications relay orbiter, delivered by the end of 2028. Read more.
Eutelsat / IRIS² → Thales Alenia Space (France / Italy) – ~€500M (September). Government payloads for the IRIS² LEO satellites. Read more.
U.S. Space Force → Lockheed Martin (Colorado) – $113.5M across two task orders (September 10). GPS IIIF contingency operations and a GPS ground-system technology refresh. Read more.
U.S. Space Force → General Dynamics Mission Systems (Scottsdale, AZ) – $99.3M (September). MUOS ground-segment changes to support two service-life-extension satellites. Read more.
ESA / European Commission → ICEYE and Leonardo consortia (Europe) – value undisclosed (September 17). Parallel architecture studies for the EU Earth Observation Governmental Service. Read more.
Expansions and Layoffs
Northwood Space (Torrance, CA) – Opened a 185,000 sq. ft. headquarters and factory with 400 jobs planned over three years (September 1). Read more.
EnduroSat (United States / Bulgaria) – Plans a new high-volume U.S. satellite factory and a space and defense hub near Sofia, funded by its $205M round (September 17). Read more.
Open Cosmos (Europe) – Scaling four European satellite factories toward one satellite a day (September 14). Read more.
Launch and Regulation
Isar Aerospace / Spectrum (Europe) – Second flight reached orbit from Andøya, Norway (September 5), the first European commercial orbital launch. Read more.
ESA / Arianespace (Europe) – Vega-C’s first dual launch carried FLEX and Copernicus Sentinel-3C (September 15). Read more.
SpaceX / Starship Flight 14 (United States) – First orbital Starship flight, launched from Starbase Pad 2 with 26 Starlink V3 satellites (September 28). Read more.
Galactic Energy / Pallas-1 (China) – Maiden flight of the reusable-design Pallas-1 rocket reached orbit (September 1). Read more.
FCC (United States) – Voted to treat satellite licensing as categorically excluded from NEPA review and opened more than 1,000 MHz of spectrum for satellite services (September 30). Read more.
Council of the EU (Europe) – Widened the EU Space Threat Response Architecture to cover threats to member states’ own space systems (September 28). Read more.
Roles in Demand, September 2026
Engineering
Propulsion engineering
Launch vehicle engineering
Capsule & reentry systems
Spacecraft systems engineering
RF & phased-array engineering
Integration & test engineering
Manufacturing & Operations
Satellite production
Manufacturing engineering
Launch operations
Mission operations
Supply chain
Software & Analysis
Flight software
Deep-space communications
Earth observation data products
IoT & connectivity software
Compliance & Assurance
Mission assurance
Quality engineering
Spectrum & licensing
Space security & resilience
Space insurance & risk
Key Regions
Southern California (U.S.)
Washington (U.S.)
Alabama (U.S.)
Belgium
Germany
France
United Kingdom
Spain
Bulgaria
Norway
China
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This bar chart visualizes orbital launch activity for September 2026, with a total of 27 attempts,
all successful. The United States led with 12 launches: 7 Falcon 9 flights (3 Starlink batches,
3 national security missions, and SES O3b mPOWER 11–13), 4 Rocket Lab Electron missions, and
Starship Flight 14, the first orbital Starship flight. China contributed 10 launches, including the
maiden flight of Galactic Energy's Pallas-1. Europe recorded 2 launches: Isar Aerospace's Spectrum
reaching orbit on its second flight and a Vega-C carrying FLEX and Sentinel-3C. Russia flew 2
Soyuz missions, including Progress MS-35 to the ISS, and India launched EOS-05 on a GSLV. Japan and
the Middle East had no orbital launches this month.
Methodology and Sources
This report compiles September 2026 announcements from
Payload,
European Spaceflight,
SpaceNews,
FCC,
FAA, and
ESA STAR.
Events are scored on a five-point scale for expected hiring impact within 3 to 12 months.
Rankings weigh funding size, contract value, immediacy, and regional scope.
If you notice any discrepancies or missing information, please contact us at
team@spacejobsearch.com.
Credit: NASA/Cory S Huston
