SPACE INDEX COMPANIES INSIGHTS SECTORS PRODUCTS NEWS BLOG ANSWERS RESEARCH ABOUT FOR COMPANIES BUILD / 2026.06.04
Arianespace logo Arianespace Operates Ariane 6 and Vega C launch vehicles from the Guiana Space Centre, serving European institutional and global commercial satellite customers vs PLD Space Develops reusable launch vehicles for dedicated and rideshare small satellite missions, with in-house liquid propulsion and vertically integrated manufacturing PLD Space logo
HEAD-TO-HEAD1 shared sector
Arianespace PLD Space
Founded 1980 2011
Headquarters Évry-Courcouronnes, France Elche, Spain
Type private private
Status operating operating
Employees 220 335
Total funding $90.2M
Latest round Debt
Sectors Launch Services, Spaceports & Range Services Launch Services, Space Propulsion, Suborbital & High-Altitude
Products listed 4 4
Federal contracts
Launches 355 (88%) 3 (33%)
Leaders listed David Cavailloles, Caroline Arnoux, Steven Rutgers Ezequiel Sanchez, Raul Torres, Raul Verdu
News mentions 0 0
SHARED SECTORS
FREQUENTLY ASKED

How do Arianespace and PLD Space compare?

Both companies work in Launch Services. Arianespace was founded in 1980 and PLD Space in 2011.

Which is larger, Arianespace or PLD Space?

PLD Space reports the larger workforce, with 335 employees versus 220.

Which has more launches, Arianespace or PLD Space?

Arianespace leads with 355 tracked launches (88% success rate).

Numbers refresh on every render against the live Space Index database. Federal contract data from USAspending.gov; launches from LaunchLibrary2.