Near Space

What Near Space does

Near Space Corporation (NSC), founded in 1996 and headquartered in Tillamook, Oregon, designs, fabricates, and operates high-altitude balloon and unmanned aerial systems for government, academic, and commercial customers. From its Johnson Near Space Center at the Port of Tillamook Airport, the company conducts stratospheric flight testing up to 130,000 feet for payloads ranging from less than one pound to more than ten tons, with mission durations from hours to months. NSC holds one of six FAA-designated UAS Test Site designations (Pan-Pacific UAS Test Range Complex) and a unique high-altitude COA allowing UAS operations up to 130,000 feet MSL.

The company's product portfolio spans three integrated lines: high-altitude flight testing services; advanced space-grade soft goods (parachutes, balloons, uprighting flotation systems, inflatable space articles) for programs including Boeing Starliner, Artemis 1 Orion, ISS BEAM, and ESA ExoMars; and the Tillamook UAS Test Range offering diverse terrain and 32,000 square miles of airspace. Proprietary platforms include the High Altitude Shuttle System (HASS) lifting body, NS3 high-altitude gliding UAS, and the Venus Aerobot prototype developed with NASA JPL under SBIR. The company was acquired by Aerostar International LLC (TCOM portfolio) in March 2024 and now operates as Aerostar Tillamook.

NSC generates revenue through custom-quoted project contracts (government flight testing, drop testing, materials fabrication) and longer-term partnerships (Peraton/NASA Balloon Operations Contract II, End State Solutions FAA certification, UAS Denmark). Customer concentration is heavily weighted toward NASA, NOAA, DoD, and aerospace primes including Boeing, ESA, Thales Alenia, and the Department of Energy national laboratories (LLNL, PNNL, Sandia). Pricing is project-based and not publicly disclosed. The company employs 11-50 people with offices and launch sites in Tillamook OR, Madras OR, South Point HI, and personnel embedded at the Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility in Palestine, TX.

Name

Near Space

Legal name

Near Space Corporation

Website

https://nsc.aero

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Near Space Corporation provides high-altitude balloon flight testing, FAA-designated UAS test range operations, and aerospace soft-goods fabrication for NASA, NOAA, DoD, and aerospace prime contractors. The Tillamook, Oregon-based company flies payloads up to 130,000 feet and was acquired by Aerostar International in March 2024.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Aerospace Testing and Flight Services

NAICS

Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Manufacturing (336414), Other Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Parts and Auxiliary Equipment Manufacturing (336419), Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing (334511)

SIC

Guided Missiles & Space Vehicles & Parts (3760), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Search, Detection, Navagation, Guidance, Aeronautical Sys (3812)

akta.pro primary industry

Spacecraft Integration, Assembly & Test (IAT) (IMABACAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Spacecraft & Satellites (Civil/Commercial) (IMABACAB), Reentry, Descent & Landing Systems (Capsules, Heat Shields, Parachutes) (IMABACAL), Military Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) & Autonomous Aerial Platforms (IMABAMAC)

Keywords

• High altitude flight testing
• Stratospheric balloon services
• UAS test range operations
• Aerospace soft goods manufacturing
• Space-grade inflatable materials

Headquarters

HQ city

Tillamook

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. High Altitude Flight Testing Services: Customized flight testing services for government, academic and commercial customers including payload testing, EDL systems testing, and technology demonstrations at high altitudes
2. Aerospace Soft Goods Manufacturing: Design and fabrication of custom inflatable aerospace products including balloons, parachutes, uprighting systems, and inflatable space habitats
3. UAS Test Range Operations: Management and operation of FAA-designated UAS Test Range providing flight testing infrastructure, airspace coordination, and operational support
4. Government Research Contracts: SBIR contracts and government-funded research projects for planetary exploration technology development (e.g., NASA Venus Aerobot, ESA ExoMars)

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Near Space Corporation provides customized high-altitude flight testing services for payloads ranging from less than one pound to more than ten tons at altitudes up to 130,000 feet, with flight durations from hours to months. The company also designs and fabricates space-grade soft goods including stratospheric balloons, parachutes, uprighting flotation systems, and inflatable space habitats. In addition, NSC operates the FAA-designated Tillamook UAS Test Range, providing airspace coordination and flight support for unmanned aircraft system testing across diverse terrain.

Product overview

Near Space Corporation provides high altitude, near space platforms and flight services for government, academic, and commercial customers. The company operates as a unified platform combining three core offerings: High Altitude Flight Testing services supporting payloads from one pound to over ten tons reaching altitudes over 130,000 feet; Advanced Space Materials manufacturing including soft goods like high altitude balloons, parachutes, inflatables, and space-grade products; and the Tillamook UAS Test Range providing FAA-designated UAS testing with diverse terrain and airspace access. Key products include the High Altitude Shuttle System (HASS) lifting body, NS3 high altitude gliding UAS, Venus Aerobot prototypes, and components for Boeing Starliner and ExoMars programs. Operations are conducted from the Johnson Near Space Center facility in Tillamook, Oregon, which includes custom integration hangar, avionics lab, and atmospheric test chamber. The company was acquired by Aerostar International LLC in March 2024.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• More than 160 balloon flights completed since 1996
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• Aerostar International LLCmajorOthers · 25 March 2024Aerostar International LLC, a member of the TCOM portfolio, acquired Near Space Corporation in March 2024. Strategic move bringing together Aerostar's lighter-than-air innovation with NSC's high-altitude testing expertise and West Coast location.
• PeratoncoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 May 2022NSC partnered with Peraton for NASA Balloon Operations Contract II (NBOC-II). NSC provides personnel at Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility (CSBF) in Palestine, Texas and supports Peraton in identifying critical new capabilities in the balloon program.
• Scappoose Fire District and Regional Disaster Preparedness Organization (RDPO)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 26 April 2022Partnership to develop UAS Public Safety Aviation Program for Oregon and Clark County, Washington. NSC helped attain necessary FAA waivers including controlled airspace operations, TBVLOS, and operations above 400 ft. Developed training and certification program and tracking database for pilots and aircraft.
• UAS Denmark Test CentercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 April 2022Cooperative agreement between Near Space Corporation (Tillamook UAS) and UAS Denmark Test Center to allow customers to easily transition validation testing and demonstration flights between the EU and United States. Offers single commercial contract and currency for testing at either location with shared logistics and flight planning processes.
• End State SolutionscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 April 2021Joint agreement to provide aerospace companies a single-source for full suite of flight testing and FAA certification services. End State Solutions brings FAA certification expertise while NSC operates the FAA-designated Tillamook UAS Test Range with airspace deconfliction and complex test operations capabilities.
• European Space Agency / Thales Alenia Space / Vorticity Systems LimitedcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2021NSC worked with ESA, Thales Alenia Space, and Vorticity Systems Limited for testing Entry/Descent/Landing (EDL) parachute systems for the ExoMars project. NSC flew test systems to over 100,000 feet altitude in FAA controlled National Airspace System.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• World View: Stratospheric balloon flight operator offering high-altitude platform services, remote sensing, and near-space tourism. Directly comparable to NSC's high-altitude balloon and HAPS operations, and a potential competitor for both flight testing services and downstream stratospheric applications.
• Space Perspective: Stratospheric balloon flight company developing passenger experience flights to the edge of space using large helium balloons. Comparable to NSC in high-altitude balloon platforms, integration, and operational expertise in controlled stratospheric flight.
• Zero 2 Infinity: Spanish near-space balloon services company offering stratospheric research, microgravity, and high-altitude flight platforms. Directly comparable to NSC's high-altitude testing, payload integration, and balloon-based platform design capabilities.
• ILC Dover: Designer and manufacturer of space inflatables, soft goods, and parachute systems for NASA and aerospace customers. Directly comparable to NSC's Advanced Space Materials soft goods business and parachute drop test capabilities, including historical BEAM collaboration.
• Airborne Systems: Designer and manufacturer of aerospace parachutes, recovery systems, and aerial delivery platforms. Comparable to NSC in parachute systems engineering and EDL drop testing for human spaceflight and Mars programs (e.g., Orion, Mars missions).
• Bigelow Aerospace: Developer of inflatable space habitats including the BEAM module currently operating on the ISS. Comparable to NSC through their BEAM collaboration and shared focus on space-grade inflatable structures and habitats.
• UP Aerospace: Suborbital launch services provider conducting payload flights from Spaceport America. Comparable to NSC as a small U.S. provider of high-altitude and suborbital flight services to government, academic, and commercial payload customers.

Broad incumbents

• Aerostar International: TCOM portfolio company focused on lighter-than-air systems, stratospheric platforms, and aerostat solutions; NSC's parent company since March 2024. Overlapping in lighter-than-air platform development, mission planning software, and government/defense aerospace programs.
• Scaled Composites: Aerospace testing, prototyping, and suborbital vehicle developer owned by Northrop Grumman. Comparable to NSC in high-altitude flight testing, suborbital reusable launch vehicle (SRLV) surrogate test bed operations, and integration of advanced aerospace technologies.

Emerging players

• Masten Space Systems (Astrobotic): Aerospace testing and suborbital lander developer (now part of Astrobotic). Comparable to NSC in high-altitude flight testing, payload integration, and emerging small aerospace service provider business models serving NASA programs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/space@1g

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Near Space