Aerospace & Defense startups in Southern California

AI-guided robotic metal forming for automotive, aerospace, and defense manufacturing.

Defense aviation company building high-Mach military aircraft, holding a $219M DIU contract.

Cosight builds always-connected telehealth devices — cellular- and satellite-ready — for video consultations and remote patient monitoring, with real-time translation and integration with FDA-approved medical devices, aimed at hospitals and healthcare providers.

Develops swarming technology for aircraft and air power applications.

Develops commercial space stations; Haven-1 is billed as the world's first commercial space station.

Ampaire is a Long Beach; California-based aerospace and electric aircraft company; founded in 2016. It raised a $19M Series B in August 2026; from investors including Gaingels; Tribe Capital and Starb

Castelion is a Torrance-based defense startup that mass-produces hypersonic missiles, aiming to shorten development cycles and reduce costs compared to traditional defense programs.

Hadrian is building highly automated factories to manufacture critical components and systems for defense and aerospace.

Senra Systems is a California-based B2B startup automating wire harness manufacturing for aerospace; defense; and industrial sectors. Founded by ex-SpaceX engineers Jordan Black and Benjamin Shanahan;

Observable Space is building advanced optical systems across laser communications ground stations, ground-based optical sensing, and in-space payloads to help satellites and spacecraft see, track, navigate, and communicate more effectively.

Heaviside Industries is building autonomous precision munitions for U.S. and allied special operations and conventional forces, designed to operate in jammed and GPS-denied environments.

Skyryse is building a universal operating system for flight, SkyOS, to simplify cockpits and standardize aircraft controls, making flight easier and safer.

Chaos Industries develops advanced technologies for defense and critical industries.

Spacecraft represent the most pressing need across the entire aerospace industry. As more launch vehicles come online and the cost to orbit decreases; more companies launching payloads to space contin

Founded in 2016 and headquartered in San Diego; Clearspeed provides voice-based risk assessment software that returns real-time risk indicators for insurance; government; defense; and financial-servic

AndrenaM builds AI-driven autonomous maritime systems for defense; founded by ex-SpaceX engineers.

Flock Freight is a Solana Beach; California-based company that uses algorithmic pooling technology to allow less-than-truckload (LTL) shippers to share trailer space in one full truckload.

Epirus builds Leonidas; a high-power microwave directed-energy system that disables drones with electromagnetic pulses rather than missiles; including while on the move. The company pitches it as a co

Outpost Technologies; trading as Outpost Space; builds fully reusable spacecraft for returning cargo from orbit and for through-space shipping. Founded in Santa Monica; California in October 2021 by J

Jadu AR Inc. is a Los Angeles augmented reality studio building multiplayer AR mobile games in which virtual characters and vehicles appear in the player's own physical space through a phone camera. I

Jet Edge International is a Los Angeles-based private aviation services platform.

AirMap is a California-based drone industry company improving low-altitude-airspace infrastructure to help drone operators fly safely and legally.

FlightWave Aerospace is a Santa Monica; California-based company founded in 2014 by Michael Colonno.

Terran Orbital is a Florida-based manufacturer of small satellites primarily serving the United States and Allied aerospace and defense industries.

Citadel builds an automated and modular drone defense system that uses machine learning algorithms to detect and engage drones.

Transonic Combustion is a Los Angeles-based company founded in 2006.

Shield AI is a defense-tech company building the world's best AI pilots and next-generation aircraft.

We provide efficient in-space mobility that moves payloads from low Earth orbit to any destination. Our vehicles deliver rapid, reliable access, reducing costs and timelines to make space operations feasible for commercial, government, and scientific missions.

Mach Industries is building faster, smarter defense infrastructure for the modern era.

Advanced material solutions—from AI-driven design to agile U.S. manufacturing—for defense, aerospace, & high-performance applications

AstroForge is a commercial space startup focused on asteroid mining and the extraction of platinum group metals and other critical minerals. Explore our deep space missions and discover how we’re shaping the future of space resources and off-world mining.

Outpace AI-driven attacks. Unify Digital Risk Protection, Human Risk Management, and Email Security to stop digital threats before they scale, empower your teams to lead your defense, and scale your SOC with agentic AI.

Factory-produced, deployable fission microreactors to provide strategic energy for mission-critical systems across Earth, space, and underseas.

Virtualitics is an AI solutions company that transforms data into impactful action with AI readiness applications for defense, government, and enterprise.

Robotics Startup for Space Development

Movandi Corp develops next-generation mmWave solutions that power both terrestrial and non-terrestrial communications, advancing 5G, fixed wireless, and satellite networks worldwide.

ABL Space Systems is a company based in El Segundo, California, focused on launch vehicle and launch systems technology development.

Catalex Network is a private capital-backed partner for elite boutique insurance defense law firms — back office, technology, and growth resources without giving up your culture.

Novo Space, Co. offers a full ecosystem of products to simplify the development process of complex space systems, including tailored subsystems, electronic boards, and FPGA IP Cores.

Sift is the unified observability platform for mission-critical hardware—ingest, store, and analyze telemetry at scale across aerospace, defense, and robotics.

Picogrid delivers integrated systems for modern missions, connecting sensors, platforms, and operators across land, sea, air, and space.

Orbital AI Edge Compute for Next-Gen Space Operations

General Galactic builds advanced spacecraft for sustained maneuver and more time on-mission across the space domain

Orbital defense built for scale.

Cost Competitive Space Electricity

Pixxel is a space data company and spacecraft manufacturer redefining Earth observation through high-resolution hyperspectral imaging and advanced analytics.

Discover Balboa Geolocation's cutting-edge geolocation solutions for defense and commercial markets, ensuring accuracy in challenging environments.

LaunchPoint Electric Propulsion Solutions is a propulsion and power generation company supplying lightweight, highly efficient, power-dense, electric and hybrid systems for aerospace, defense, unmanned aircraft systems, and advanced air mobility.

PiLogic is a dual-use company that revolutionizes aerospace by delivering precise, efficient, and mathematically grounded AI solutions for critical dual-use aerospace applications like tracking, diagnosis, and sensor fusion.

Rapid Satellite Payload-Tailored Design

"The point is to get missions out of the door as fast as possible. Even two to three years is too slow” - Major Gen. Stephen Purdy,US Space Force We solve the long-lead parts problem that has plagued the space industry for decades. Learn More Contact Us

ViroMissile is developing the world’s first truly intravenously-delivered viruses that target and kill tumors.

Salon Republic is the industry leader of modern salon suites for rent for beauty professionals. Join our community - the place to go for salon rental space.

Orbital Operations Inc engineers vehicles like Astraeus that provide the power to maneuver decisively in LEO to cislunar orbit, delivering intercept, defense, and repositioning capabilities without delay.

The Vesteck Inc Endosuture Aneurysm Repair (ESAR) platform, Suture-Tight™, is revolutionizing the aneurysm repair space.

Making Space connects Neurodivergent, Chronically Ill, and Disabled professionals with career opportunities, free education, and community, while also equipping employers to hire inclusively and build better workplaces.

Orbital logistics: Unleashing space industry, from Earth to asteroids

Manifest Space provides infrastructure for persistent spacecraft identity, position, and visibility throughout the mission lifecycle to enable coordinated operations across the orbital ecosystem.

Landline builds infrastructure that decentralizes the airport by providing remote screening checkpoints for commercial aviation and premium ground transportation integrated into airline reservation systems.

Aviation Capital Group creates innovative ways to acquire and finance fuel-efficient commercial aircraft to help the aviation industry transition to a sustainable future.