Charter Space has raised $5 million in a seed funding round led by Crystal Venture Partners, with participation from QED Investors, Blank Ventures, Gaingels and Hustle Fund. The financing was announced on September 30, 2026.
Founded in 2021 by Yuk Chi Chan and Yukun Yin, the El Segundo, California-based startup develops insurance and financial infrastructure for the commercial space industry. Charter Space initially built software that centralised aerospace engineering, manufacturing and testing data, before extending that data infrastructure into the underwriting process for satellites, spacecraft and other space-related risks.
The company launched its nationally licensed insurance brokerage, Charter Interplanetary Risk Corporation, in 2026. Charter Space now serves more than 50 companies across the US space and defense industrial base. The company also said it has built a backlog representing more than $35 million in gross written premiums.
Charter Space plans to use the seed capital to expand its sales organisation and insurance offerings. Potential areas of coverage include lunar missions, in-space servicing and space-based nuclear power projects.
The latest round brings Charter Space’s total funding to $8 million, following an earlier $3 million pre-seed round. The company was also a finalist in TechCrunch’s Startup Battlefield competition in 2025.
