We’ve picked the winners of the 2021 SpaceNews Awards – SpaceNews

And the winners are…

The SpaceNews Awards are held each year to recognize achievements in space commerce, exploration and stewardship.

Since 2017, the SpaceNews editorial staff has selected 40 individuals and organizations embodying the hard work and innovation propelling the space industry to unparalleled levels of activity.

2021 has seen a record number of private astronauts making their way to space — and a record number of space startups making their way to Wall Street via SPAC mergers.

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Our first two SpaceNews Awards selections for 2021 recognize the Private Astronaut and the SPAC merger for epitomizing the year’s ups and downs.

More than 20 private astronauts — individuals on suborbital and orbital flights not conducted on behalf of government — have gone up and back in 2021. Kudos to the billionaires who made this possible but especially the non-billionaires like Wally Funk, William Shatner, Sian Proctor, Chris Sembroski and Hayley Arceneaux who showed that everyone from tubby 90-year-olds to 29-year-olds with prosthetic body parts can make the trip.

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Since fall 2020, a dozen space companies have elected to go public by merging with special purpose acquisition companies, or SPACs. Investor appetite for SPACs has allowed more than a half dozen space startups to raise hundreds of millions of dollars each. Without a doubt, the SPAC merger has been the deal of the year.

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The rest of 2021’s winners…

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

Join us Monday, Dec. 6 to find out the rest of the 2021 SpaceNews Awards recipients.

This year’s winners will be profiled in the December issue of SpaceNews magazine and featured on SpaceNews.com.

HEAR FROM THE WINNERS  

SpaceNews journalists will be joined by 2021 winners at 1 p.m. Eastern  on Dec. 6 for an online conversation of 2021’s defining moments and what lies ahead. Join us live!

While we had hoped to return to an in-person format for this year’s awards, we’re thrilled that many more can join us online to recognize 2021’s award winners.