Aerospace Startups funded by Y Combinator (YC) 2026

Dispatch is building refurbishable reentry vehicles that host and return payloads for companies making ultra-high-value materials (semiconductors, biotech, and pharma) that can only be manufactured in space. Right now, these companies have no practical way to manufacture and get their products back to Earth. We solve this bottleneck. We just returned from the Mojave Desert testing our first full-scale reentry heat shield designed to protect the satellite as it returns from space at Mach 20+, built in an apartment for 100x cheaper than competitors. To test, we held it behind a rocket engine to simulate the forces of atmospheric reentry. IT WORKED! Watch here - https://youtu.be/dhlQmnIoptg To scale, we anchor permanent infrastructure in orbit - building high power Autonomous Space Stations designed from day one for "lights-out" manufacturing serviced by the reentry vehicles.

We are making AI weapon systems for the modern battlefield. Our first product EDDA is a small, low power, low cost fully autonomous-capable counter drone system. It's designed to be used on vehicles, bases, or carried - to stop group 1 suicide drones.

We provide defense companies with simulation infrastructure to train and validate autonomous systems.

Zephyr Fusion is building the first in-orbit fusion power source: a megawatt-class reactor enabling large-scale industry in space, at a fraction of the cost of equivalent solar. Founded by former physicists from Lawrence Livermore and Oak Ridge National Laboratories, Zephyr leverages decades of fusion research to deliver a compact magnetic confinement system designed to take advantage of the space environment.

Always-on intelligence and connectivity for Defense. Icarus builds autonomous, solar-powered aircraft that fly at 60,000 feet for weeks at a time, above the clouds harnessing the power of the Sun, but never too close. It’s the modern-day U-2 spy plane, except each costs $100K and is built by the thousands. The future of warfare is in the Stratosphere.

What if every experiment you wanted to run could be modeled using AI? Godela is an AI-powered physics engine that gives engineers faster, cheaper replacement to simulations and physical prototypes. No set up, no wait. Just ask—and get simulation quality result.

Cascade Space is building a turn-key communications system for lunar and deep space missions. Our ground station network and integrated software tools work together to maximize uptime and availability, while reducing spacecraft iteration cycles from weeks to hours.

GroundControl builds mission-critical software for manufacturers in highly-regulated industries (aerospace, defense, medical) Our core product automates lengthy, complex, and regulated quality documentation in aerospace manufacturing. As an example, the Boeing 777 is made up of over 3 million parts sourced from manufacturers around the world. These manufacturers must complete quality documentation for every part on this aircraft (machined parts, printed circuit boards, wire harnesses, assemblies, and more). GroundControl helps manufacturers complete this required documentation accurately, in minutes instead of days.

We are making reusable satellites for zero-g manufacturing. Our first full orbital recovery mission is set to launch in April 2026.

Forerunner is an AI-powered platform for aircraft maintenance, repair, and overhaul.

Sorcerer is deploying a global network of persistent airborne sensors to fuel advanced weather forecasting. Our high-altitude balloons collect 1000x more data than existing systems and are already used daily by meteorologists to track extreme weather across the US and Central America.

Entangl uses AI to detect and automatically resolve issues in data center engineering and operations, ensuring efficiency and uptime.

Spaceium builds fully automated space stations to refuel and repair spacecraft. We have secured $86.1 million in binding commercial contracts and have an additional $230 million in the pipeline. Additionally, we have 1 billion dollars in letters of intent. We have successfully tested our hardware, which will launch to space next year. Our fully automated space stations will efficiently store and transfer both cryogenic (extremely cold) and non-cryogenic fuels with zero loss during storage and transfer. And they can transfer fuel seamlessly to any spacecraft design using our proprietary modular robotic arm. Our customers include launch vehicles, orbital transfer vehicles, moon landers, and spacecraft that benefit from increased payload capacity and extended travel capabilities. Our long-term vision is to build service hubs along the space superhighway to connect Earth to Moon and Mars and help humanity to become multi multi-planetary species

Navier AI is building the first Agent-Driven Engineering platform. We believe engineers should focus on designing great products, not wrestling with simulation software. Navier AI makes it simple to run CFD simulations at scale through our web-based platform built on OpenFOAM, the industry-standard solver for CFD. Our AI agents autonomously handle the complex, time-consuming steps of simulation—from geometry cleanup and meshing to solver configuration and cloud resource management. By automating the tedious parts of the workflow, we enable engineering teams to move faster, explore more design possibilities, and spend their time on high-value engineering decisions.

Basalt is building self-flying satellite constellations for enterprise customers, no prior aerospace experience or expertise needed! Powered by our spacecraft OS, Basalt provides a seamless experience, enabling users to fly and stream data from their own tailored satellite constellation from an app on their phones or laptops. The company is founded by Max Bhatti and Alex Choi, lead engineers at the MIT CubeSat program. Previously, the duo worked as systems engineers at SpaceX, and the UK Ministry of Defense. Basalt Tech recently received its seed investment as part of the Y Combinator W24 batch, and is currently in technical development.

Elodin creates flight software, simulations, and hardware for drones, satellites, and defense.

HyLight builds and operates autonomous airships for long range monitoring. We focus on detecting methane leaks on pipelines and defects on power lines. Our innovation, the HyLighter, is a crossover between drone and airship technology. Like a drone, it is easily controllable and transportable. And, like an airship, it is extremely energy-efficient, enabling it to fly for up to 10 hours at slow speed (22mph) for optimal data collection which represents a range of 220miles. Today, energy infrastructure operators struggle with conducting inspections that are simultaneously: massive and precise. HyLight offers a solution to precisely detect issues on the infrastructure at an industrial scale, and all of this without emitting GHGs. We are 3 co-founders experienced in hardware and energy companies with Masters in Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science and Business from the best Engineering and Business School in France. We have developed 5 different flying aircrafts and signed 5 pilots programs with major energy infrastructure operators. We also have LOIs worth over $3.5M.

Radical’s StratoSats are autonomous platforms that provide satellite-like services on demand. They fly within Earth’s atmosphere to provide persistent, high performance infrastructure across applications in earth observation, connectivity, and more. Unlike satellites, StratoSats navigate freely without the need for rocket launches or orbits - reducing costs, increasing flexibility, and ensuring customers get the targeted coverage they need.

Airhart is making airplanes anyone can fly. Our semi-autonomous tech will enable 10x more people to fly their own planes and make flying to Tahoe as easy as driving to the grocery store

Velontra is building a hypersonic space plane that can takeoff from anywhere in any weather. This horizontal takeoff increases launch reliability and enables customers to directly access any orbit. Our air-breathing propulsion system is up to 6 times more fuel efficient than any rocket, and uses oxygen from the air which creates thousands of pounds of additional payload capacity. We have millions in current government/commercial contracts and LOI’s. We have assembled a team of industry experts, government senior executives, and a NASA astronaut. The hypersonic space plane will work by taking off from any runway with a jet propulsion system. Next, it will climb to over 100,000’ and Mach 5. At this point, it will launch a 2nd stage rocket directly into the desired Low Earth Orbit. Velontra is “boldly going where no one has gone before.”

Quindar is a web app used by satellite owners to analyze, test and operate their constellation. For example, Airbus could use Quindar to operate their satellite fleet with minimal human intervention. We’re six former OneWeb engineers who helped build the software platform that currently operates the second largest satellite constellation in the world. The space industry is shifting from companies launching a handful of satellites over a decade, to launching hundreds of satellites EACH in just a few years. Our SaaS platform automates mission management and for a single engineer to operate hundreds of satellites instead of the traditional model of many engineers operating a single satellite.

HEO Robotics visually monitors satellites for governments and defence. We do this by transforming existing Earth observation satellites with software to image other satellites as they fly close by.

Kalam Labs has developed world's highest flying UAVs - deployable from high-altitude balloons they replace satellites to provide high-res EO/IR and hyperspectral reconnaissance.

REGENT is building a new mode of transportation that will redefine regional mobility by 2026. Their first product, the seaglider, is an all-electric, hydrofoiling flying-boat that operates within a wingspan of the water's surface. By flying low on a cushion of air, seagliders unlock the ability to fly twice as far as an electric aircraft, while being regulated by maritime authorities enabling market entry for a fraction of the cost. REGENT has de-risked seaglider technology with a ¼-scale flying demonstration vehicle. By this summer, REGENT will fly humans on the 15,000 lb (7000kg) first full-scale prototype seaglider, which will be the largest electric-flying machine in history. By late 2026, REGENT’s customers - airlines and ferry companies – will begin commercial seaglider service on the 12-seat initial product. A 100 passenger version, already with firm orders, will follow several years later. In just four years, REGENT has accumulated >$10B in pre-orders (including firm deposits) from airlines and ferry companies around the world. Currently a team of 100, REGENT is led by MIT-trained, ex-Boeing engineers Billy Thalheimer and Mike Klinker. REGENT has raised over $100M to date from the likes of Founders Fund, Japan Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines and Lockheed Martin, and is on contract with the US Marine Corps.

Albedo builds and operates satellites in Very Low Earth Orbit (VLEO) — a new orbital layer much closer to Earth than traditional satellites in LEO. Flying lower unlocks sharper imagery, faster communications, and real-time maneuverability with smaller, more efficient hardware. VLEO is naturally self-cleaning and resilient, offering a sustainable alternative to crowded low Earth orbit - providing diversification and redundancy for critical systems that we rely on in higher orbits. With the only flight proven VLEO system on the market, Albedo is creating a new orbital infrastructure designed for speed, precision, and resilience.

At Lucid, we are a B2B robotics provider for dull, dirty, and dangerous jobs, starting with the cleaning industry, which has a 200% annual turnover rate. Our primary product is a drone that can clean anything from windows to roofs to stadium domes to industrial tanks. Our drones can clean up to 8x faster. Due to customer demand, we also launched a ground-based pressure-washing robot to complement our cleaning drone. We support customers around the country who use our robots every day to clean properties with great safety and efficiency. We engineer, manufacture, and support our technology from a 20,000 sqft headquarters in Charlotte, NC.

Heart makes electric airplanes.

Boom Supersonic is transforming air travel with Overture, the world’s fastest airliner, optimized for speed, safety, and sustainability. Serving both civil and government markets, Overture will fly at twice the speed of today’s airliners and is designed to run on 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). Symphony™, a Boom-led collaboration with industry leaders, is the propulsion system that will power Overture. Overture’s order book, including purchases and options from American Airlines, United Airlines, and Japan Airlines stands at 130 aircraft. Boom is working with Northrop Grumman for government and defense applications of Overture. Suppliers and partners collaborating with Boom on the Overture program include Collins Aerospace, Eaton, Florida Turbine Technologies (FTT), a business unit of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc., GE Additive, Safran Landing Systems, StandardAero and the United States Air Force. For more information, visit https://boomsupersonic.com Boom’s world-class engineering team comes from places including SpaceX, Boeing, Gulfstream, Virgin Galactic, Scaled Composites, NASA, and Bombardier. We have uniquely challenging and world-changing opportunities for the most talented aerospace engineers, designers, and business people.

Gander is building AI-powered technology that allows private jet operators to coordinate, maintain, and monetize their fleets all in one place.