78 Ground Systems & Infrastructure companies in United States
Space Atlas lists 78 organisations in United States working in ground systems & infrastructure: 29 private companies, 16 startups, 14 spaceport/launch sites, 7 research institutions, 6 government agencies, 4 academic institutions, 1 non-profit, 1 industry association. That is 15% of the 526 space organisations in United States and 23% of the 345 in this sector worldwide. Most are based in Colorado Springs (5), Houston (4), San Francisco (3).
Private Company (29)
- Arcfield · Private Company · Chantilly
Virginia defense and space contractor — provides space systems engineering, mission operations and integration for US national security and NASA.
- Astrobotic Technology · Private Company · Pittsburgh
America's premier lunar logistics company — builds lunar landers, rovers and surface infrastructure for NASA CLPS and commercial customers. Developed Peregrine and Griffin lunar…
- ATLAS Space Operations · Private Company · Traverse City
American ground-station-as-a-service provider — runs a global antenna network managed through its Freedom software platform for satellite operators.
- Auria · Private Company · Colorado Springs
US defence-space software firm — develops space command, control and communications (C3) software for the Space Force, NOAA and NASA.
- Bluestaq · Private Company · Colorado Springs
US defence data company — develops the Unified Data Library for space domain awareness data for the US Space Force and commercial users.
- Boeing Defense, Space & Security · Private Company · Arlington
Develops launch systems, satellites and crewed spacecraft for government and commercial customers.
- BRPH · Private Company · Melbourne
US architecture and engineering firm founded on the Space Coast — designs launch, spacecraft processing and spaceport facilities alongside other sectors.
- Comtech Telecommunications Corp. · Private Company · Chandler
US communications technology company — supplies satellite ground terminals, modems, troposcatter and space-ground components for LEO/MEO/GEO networks.
- DataPath · Private Company · Duluth
Georgia satcom company — builds portable and transportable satellite terminals and network management software for defence users.
- Emergent Space Technologies, Inc. · Private Company · Greenbelt
American aerospace engineering firm — provides spacecraft guidance, navigation and control, ground systems and mission automation services.
- Greisen Aerospace, LLC · Private Company · Brunswick
Maine AS9100 engineering firm — designs and manufactures satellite ground support equipment, lifting hardware and custom aerospace tooling.
- Intuitive Machines · Private Company · Houston
Leads America's return to the Moon — operates Nova-C lunar landers under NASA CLPS, builds the Lunar Data Network, and provides lunar surface access, data relay and space infras…
- Kratos Defense & Security Solutions · Private Company · San Diego
American defence contractor — supplies satellite ground systems, command-and-control software, RF products and propulsion alongside drones and missiles.
- LBiSat LLC · Private Company · Eagle Mountain
American satellite communications provider — operates a teleport in Eagle Mountain, Utah, offering satellite uplink and connectivity services.
- LeoLabs · Private Company · San Mateo
World's leading provider of persistent orbital intelligence — operates a global proliferated radar network for real-time tracking, characterisation and threat response in LEO.
- Lockheed Martin Space · Private Company · Littleton
Develops advanced space systems, satellites and deep space exploration vehicles.
- Omitron · Private Company · Greenbelt
Provides aerospace engineering, mission operations and IT services for NASA and civil space programs — specialises in satellite mission operations, flight dynamics, network mana…
- RBC Signals · Private Company · Redmond
American ground station network provider — offers satellite communication services through owned and partner antennas at 60+ locations worldwide.
- Red Canyon Engineering & Software · Private Company · Denver
Develops cutting-edge engineering and software solutions for space exploration and renewable resources — provides flight software, systems engineering and mission operations sup…
- Sierra Lobo · Private Company · Fremont
Ohio engineering company — provides cryogenic, test facility and aerospace engineering services, notably at NASA Glenn and Stennis.
- Slingshot Aerospace · Private Company · Colorado Springs
Provides satellite tracking, space traffic coordination and orbital analytics — the Slingshot platform fuses data from global sensor networks and proprietary databases for space…
- Speedcast · Private Company · Houston
Houston-headquartered satellite communications provider — delivers managed multi-orbit connectivity to maritime, energy and government users.
- ST Engineering iDirect · Private Company · Herndon
US satellite ground-segment company — supplies VSAT modems, hubs and network management platforms for broadband satellite networks.
- Teledyne Brown Engineering · Private Company · Huntsville
Huntsville engineering firm (Teledyne subsidiary) — provides NASA payload operations, space hardware integration and defense engineering services.
- The Hammers Company · Private Company · Greenbelt
US aerospace software firm — builds spacecraft ground systems, mission operations and test software for NASA missions such as Landsat 8.
- ThinKom Solutions · Private Company · Hawthorne
US antenna manufacturer — produces low-profile phased-array satcom antennas for aero, ground and maritime terminals across GEO, MEO and LEO networks.
- ULA (United Launch Alliance) · Private Company · Decatur
Provides reliable, affordable access to space for US government and commercial missions.
- UltiSat · Private Company · Laurel
Maryland satcom services company — provides satellite connectivity, teleport and network services for government and humanitarian users.
- Viasat Inc. · Private Company · Carlsbad
American satellite communications company — operates Ka-, L- and S-band satellite fleets (incl. Inmarsat) for broadband, aviation, maritime and defence users.
Startup (16)
- Cascade Space · Startup · San Francisco
San Francisco startup building an end-to-end space communications platform, pairing ground-station access with mission software.
- Citra Space Corporation · Startup · Colorado Springs
US space domain awareness startup — builds modular optical and RF sensors and software to detect, track and characterise objects in orbit.
- Cognitive Space · Startup · Houston
American space software startup — its CNTIENT AI platform automates satellite collection planning and mission management for operators and government.
- Epsilon3 · Startup · Los Angeles
Provides mission operations software for space companies — the Epsilon3 platform manages builds, test schedules, procedures and launch data for satellite manufacturers, launch o…
- Farcast · Startup · San Francisco
San Francisco startup (formerly UTVATE) developing flat-panel satellite user terminals for LEO/MEO constellations, aviation and defense.
- Loft Orbital · Startup · San Francisco
Deploys space infrastructure as a service — provides rapid, simplified access to orbit through hosted payload missions on its standardised satellite buses, enabling customers to…
- Mangata Networks · Startup · Phoenix
US satellite telecom startup — developing a MEO/HEO satellite constellation integrated with terrestrial edge-compute infrastructure.
- Maverick Space Systems · Startup · San Luis Obispo
American launch integration company — provides CubeSat dispensers and end-to-end rideshare and dedicated launch integration services near Vandenberg.
- Northwood Space · Startup · Torrance
American ground segment startup — mass-produces phased-array satellite ground stations and offers ground-network services to satellite operators.
- Observable Space · Startup · Los Angeles
US space-tech company formed from PlaneWave Instruments and OurSky — builds laser-communication ground stations, ground-based sensing and optical payloads.
- Orbit Fab · Startup · Lafayette
Builds the Gas Stations in Space™ — delivers propellant to spacecraft in LEO, GEO and cislunar space using the RAFTI refueling interface; enabling satellite refueling and extend…
- Quindar · Startup · Denver
American space software startup — builds a mission management and command-and-control platform for satellite and constellation operators.
- Sift · Startup · Marina del Rey
US software startup founded by former SpaceX engineers — provides a telemetry and observability platform for spacecraft, launch vehicles and other hardware.
- Star Catcher Industries · Startup · El Segundo
Creating the first energy grid for space — develops orbital infrastructure to harvest solar power and beam it wirelessly to power-hungry satellites, extending their life and ena…
- True Anomaly · Startup · Centennial
Founded by ex-US Space Force members — develops spacecraft, mission software and payloads for space superiority, space domain awareness and national security missions in orbit.
- Turion Space · Startup · Irvine
Builds and operates spacecraft for space domain awareness, in-orbit servicing and debris mitigation — operates the DROID satellite fleet and Starfire NEXUS platform for national…
Spaceport/Launch Site (14)
- Cecil Air and Space Port (Jacksonville Aviation Authority) · Spaceport/Launch Site · Jacksonville
FAA-licensed horizontal launch spaceport at Cecil Airport, Jacksonville, Florida, operated by the Jacksonville Aviation Authority (LSO 09-012).
- Colorado Air & Space Port (CASP) · Spaceport/Launch Site · Watkins
County-owned airport near Watkins, Colorado, holding an FAA launch site operator licence (LSO 18-017) for horizontal launch and suborbital recovery.
- Exploration Spaceport (Titusville-Cocoa Airport Authority) · Spaceport/Launch Site · Titusville
FAA-licensed horizontal launch spaceport at Space Coast Regional Airport, Titusville, Florida, operated by the Titusville-Cocoa Airport Authority (LSO 20-019).
- Houston Spaceport · Spaceport/Launch Site · Houston
FAA-licensed commercial spaceport at Ellington Airport, Houston — hosts Axiom Space, Intuitive Machines and Collins Aerospace facilities.
- Huntsville International Air & Space Port (Huntsville-Madison County Airport Authority) · Spaceport/Launch Site · Huntsville
US commercial airport and FAA-licensed orbital reentry site (RSO 22-001, 2022) — first commercial airport approved to land returning spacecraft such as Dream Chaser.
- Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) – Virginia Spaceport Authority · Spaceport/Launch Site · Wallops Island
State-owned spaceport on Wallops Island, Virginia — operates launch pads used by Rocket Lab, Northrop Grumman and Firefly next to NASA Wallops.
- Midland International Air & Space Port (Midland Spaceport) · Spaceport/Launch Site · Midland
City of Midland airport in Texas licensed by the FAA as a horizontal launch spaceport (LSO 14-015) — first spaceport co-located with a Part 139 commercial airport.
- Mojave Air & Space Port · Spaceport/Launch Site · Mojave
FAA-licensed spaceport and airport in California's Mojave Desert — hosts flight test and rocket development firms such as Scaled Composites.
- Oklahoma Space Industry Development Authority (OSIDA) · Spaceport/Launch Site · Burns Flat
Oklahoma state authority — operates the FAA-licensed Oklahoma Air & Space Port at Clinton-Sherman Airport in Burns Flat.
- Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF), Barking Sands · Spaceport/Launch Site · Kekaha
US Navy instrumented test range on Kauaʻi supporting surface, air and space operations, including sounding-rocket and orbital launch campaigns.
- Pacific Spaceport Complex – Alaska (Alaska Aerospace Corporation) · Spaceport/Launch Site · Kodiak
State-owned Alaskan spaceport on Kodiak Island — provides orbital and suborbital launch and missile test range services to commercial and defence users.
- Poker Flat Research Range (PFRR) · Spaceport/Launch Site · Chatanika
High-latitude sounding rocket range north of Fairbanks, Alaska, owned by the UAF Geophysical Institute and operated under contract with NASA Wallops.
- Spaceport America (New Mexico Spaceport Authority) · Spaceport/Launch Site · Truth or Consequences
State-owned commercial spaceport in New Mexico — hosts Virgin Galactic suborbital flights and vertical launch tenants in Sierra County.
- The Spaceport Company · Spaceport/Launch Site · Woodbridge
US offshore spaceport developer — builds mobile sea-based launch and reentry platforms; flew the first commercial rocket launches from US territorial waters in the Gulf of Mexic…
Research Institution (7)
- Alaska Satellite Facility (ASF), University of Alaska Fairbanks · Research Institution · Fairbanks
UAF Geophysical Institute centre operating polar satellite ground stations and the NASA SAR data archive (DAAC) for Earth science.
- Green Bank Observatory · Research Institution · Green Bank
NSF radio astronomy observatory in West Virginia — operates the Green Bank Telescope, the world's largest fully steerable radio telescope.
- MIT Haystack Observatory · Research Institution · Westford
MIT radio science research centre — studies space weather, the upper atmosphere and radio astronomy, and develops VLBI geodesy systems.
- MIT Lincoln Laboratory · Research Institution · Lexington
MIT-managed federally funded R&D centre — its Space Systems and Technology division develops space surveillance sensors, satellites and payloads.
- National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) · Research Institution · Charlottesville
US NSF radio astronomy facility operator — runs the VLA and VLBA and North American ALMA operations from its Charlottesville headquarters.
- Physical Science Laboratory (PSL), New Mexico State University · Research Institution · Las Cruces
New Mexico State University research lab in Las Cruces — works on aerospace systems, telemetry, scientific ballooning support and national security.
- Space Science and Engineering Center (SSEC), University of Wisconsin–Madison · Research Institution · Madison
University of Wisconsin–Madison research centre — develops satellite meteorology, Earth and planetary remote-sensing instruments and satellite data systems.
Government Agency (6)
- Maine Space Corporation (Maine Space Complex) · Government Agency · Brunswick
Maine public instrumentality created by state statute — develops the Maine Space Complex: launch sites, a data centre and innovation hub.
- Space Florida · Government Agency · Exploration Park
Florida state aerospace and spaceport development authority — finances space infrastructure and develops Exploration Park and spaceport facilities.
- U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command (USASMDC) · Government Agency · Huntsville
US Army command at Redstone Arsenal — provides Army space forces, satellite communications and missile defense capabilities and space R&D.
- United States Space Force (USSF) · Government Agency · Arlington
Space service branch of the US Armed Forces within the Department of the Air Force — organises, trains and equips forces for military space operations.
- USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science Center (EROS) · Government Agency · Sioux Falls
US Geological Survey centre near Sioux Falls — operates Landsat ground systems and hosts the global Landsat and aerial imagery archive.
- White Sands Missile Range (WSMR) · Government Agency · White Sands Missile Range
US Army test range in New Mexico; its Launch Complex 36 is one of the primary launch sites of NASA's sounding rocket programme, run by the Navy's White Sands Detachment.
Academic Institution (4)
- Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) · Academic Institution · Boulder
University of Colorado Boulder research institute — designs, builds and operates space science instruments and spacecraft for NASA missions.
- Ronald G. Eaglin Space Science Center, Morehead State University · Academic Institution · Morehead
Kentucky university space centre — builds small satellites and operates a 21 m deep-space tracking antenna supporting NASA and commercial missions.
- Space Sciences Laboratory, UC Berkeley (SSL) · Academic Institution · Berkeley
UC Berkeley research unit — designs, builds and operates space science instruments and missions, with roles in over 50 NASA missions.
- Space Systems Design Laboratory, Georgia Tech (SSDL) · Academic Institution · Atlanta
Georgia Tech aerospace engineering lab — designs, tests and operates small satellites, with thermal vacuum facilities and a mission operations centre.
Industry Association (1)
- Space ISAC (Space Information Sharing and Analysis Center) · Industry Association · Colorado Springs
Non-profit hub for space industry cybersecurity — shares actionable threat intelligence and best practices across commercial, civil and government space operators to protect cri…
Non-profit (1)
- Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute (PARI) · Non-profit · Rosman
Non-profit science centre at a former NASA satellite tracking station in Rosman — radio/optical astronomy, STEM education and space history.