SPACE INDEX COMPANIES INSIGHTS SECTORS PRODUCTS NEWS BLOG ANSWERS RESEARCH ABOUT FOR COMPANIES BUILD / 2026.06.04
NASA logo NASA Conducts civilian space exploration, aeronautics research, and space science across human spaceflight, robotic missions, and Earth observation programs vs SpaceX SpaceX logo
HEAD-TO-HEAD1 shared sector
NASA SpaceX
Founded 1958 2002
Headquarters Washington, District of Columbia Hawthorne, California
Type government private
Status operating operating
Employees 18,000 10,493
Total funding $1.3B
Latest round Secondary
Sectors Planetary Exploration, Earth Observation & Remote Sensing, Launch Services, Space Stations & Habitats Launch Services, Satellite Communications, Satellite Manufacturing
Products listed 50 9
Federal contracts 20 ($4.90B)
Launches 810 (83%)
Leaders listed Jared Isaacman, Amit Kshatriya, Casey Swails Elon Musk, Gwynne Shotwell, Bret Johnsen
News mentions 44 28
SHARED SECTORS
FREQUENTLY ASKED

How do NASA and SpaceX compare?

Both companies work in Launch Services. NASA was founded in 1958 and SpaceX in 2002.

Which is larger, NASA or SpaceX?

NASA reports the larger workforce, with 18,000 employees versus 10,493.

Which has more US federal contracts, NASA or SpaceX?

SpaceX has been awarded more, with $4.90B across 20 awards.

Which has more launches, NASA or SpaceX?

SpaceX leads with 810 tracked launches (83% success rate).

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