Relativity Space
Hiring
What they do:
Building humanity’s multiplanetary future.
Quick facts:
HQ: Los Angeles, CA, United States
Top Space & Defense Startups in Los Angeles
This list has 23 startups and was last updated on Oct 15, 2026. 10 of them are hiring right now. Largest teams: Relativity Space, Icarus, and Heart Aerospace.
23 startups
Icarus
Hiring
What they do:
Stratospheric birds for defense
Quick facts:
HQ: Los Angeles, CA, United States
What they do:
Heart makes electric airplanes with an all-electric range of 250 miles
Quick facts:
HQ: Los Angeles, CA, United States
What they do:
Turning space into a transportation layer for Earth
Quick facts:
HQ: Los Angeles, CA, United States
Turion Space
Hiring
What they do:
Moving Things Around in Space, Imaging Space Objects When We're Not
Quick facts:
HQ: Los Angeles, CA, United States
Odys Aviation
Hiring
What they do:
Vertical takeoff and landing aircraft for major airlines
Quick facts:
HQ: Los Angeles, CA, United States
AstroForge
Hiring
What they do:
We Mine Asteroids
Quick facts:
HQ: Los Angeles, CA, United States
Orbital Operations
Hiring
What they do:
High Thrust Space Vehicles for Satellite Defense
Quick facts:
HQ: Los Angeles, CA, United States
Airhart Aeronautics
Hiring
What they do:
Airplanes anyone can fly
Quick facts:
HQ: Los Angeles, CA, United States
TransAstra Corporation
Hiring
What they do:
Orbital logistics: Unleashing space industry, from Earth to asteroids
Quick facts:
HQ: Los Angeles, CA, United States
Wardstone
Hiring
What they do:
The Modular Interceptor Platform
Quick facts:
HQ: Los Angeles, CA, United States
What they do:
Moon Hotel -> The Intergalactic Construction Company of Earth
Quick facts:
HQ: Los Angeles, CA, United States
What they do:
Flying motorcycles
Quick facts:
HQ: Los Angeles, CA, United States
What they do:
Rocket cargo delivery to contested environments
Quick facts:
HQ: Los Angeles, CA, United States
What they do:
We're building robot birds for surveillance.
Quick facts:
HQ: Los Angeles, CA, United States
What they do:
Unmanned cargo airplanes
Quick facts:
HQ: Los Angeles, CA, United States
What they do:
Building low-cost cruise missiles
Quick facts:
HQ: Los Angeles, CA, United States
What they do:
Quick-turn bent tube shop for aerospace, energy, industrials
Quick facts:
HQ: Los Angeles, CA, United States
What they do:
We make silicon on the Moon, to power everything in space.
Quick facts:
HQ: Los Angeles, CA, United States
What they do:
Building and Protecting an Exciting Future
Quick facts:
HQ: Los Angeles, CA, United States
What they do:
Hyperscaling space manufacturing
Quick facts:
HQ: Los Angeles, CA, United States
YC F26Early stage
Talyn Air
Acquired
What they do:
Long range, battery electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft.
Quick facts:
HQ: Los Angeles, CA, United States
Exosonic, Inc.
Shut down
What they do:
Developing supersonic UAVs as a pathway to quiet supersonic flight
Quick facts:
HQ: Los Angeles, CA, United States
Questions and answers
How many startups are on this list?
There are 23 startups on this list, last updated on Oct 15, 2026.
Which of them are hiring?
10 of them are hiring right now, including Relativity Space, Icarus, and Turion Space.
Which of them have the largest teams?
By team size: Relativity Space (2,500 employees), Icarus (50 employees), and Heart Aerospace (50 employees).