SPACE INDEX COMPANIES INSIGHTS SECTORS PRODUCTS NEWS BLOG ANSWERS RESEARCH ABOUT FOR COMPANIES BUILD / 2026.06.03
NASA logo NASA Conducts civilian space exploration, aeronautics research, and space science across human spaceflight, robotic missions, and Earth observation programs 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
NASA PLD Space
Founded 1958 2011
Headquarters Washington, District of Columbia, USA Elche, Spain
Type government private
Status operating operating
Employees 18,000 335
Total funding $90.2M
Latest round Debt Financing
Sectors Planetary Exploration, Earth Observation & Remote Sensing, Launch Services, Space Stations & Habitats Launch Services, Space Propulsion, Suborbital & High-Altitude
Products listed 50 4
Federal contracts
Launches 3 (33%)
Leaders listed Jared Isaacman, Amit Kshatriya, Casey Swails Ezequiel Sanchez, Raul Torres, Raul Verdu
News mentions 44 0
SHARED SECTORS
FREQUENTLY ASKED

How do NASA and PLD Space compare?

Both companies work in Launch Services. NASA was founded in 1958 and PLD Space in 2011.

Which is larger, NASA or PLD Space?

NASA reports the larger workforce, with 18,000 employees versus 335.

Which has more launches, NASA or PLD Space?

PLD Space leads with 3 tracked launches (33% success rate).

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