Outlier Space is developing an autonomous returnable orbital capsule designed to carry research and manufacturing payloads into orbit for durations of weeks to months and then return them safely to Earth. The company says such microgravity conditions can produce purer crystals and more uniform protein structures, enabling scientific and manufacturing experiments that benefit from reduced gravity. Outlier positions its service as a landlord for specialized orbital factories that host those payloads. The team is led by founder Jamie France, who has prior experience at Emirates Team New Zealand, Air New Zealand’s Skycouch development, and nearly a decade at Rocket Lab culminating as Global Director of the Electron programme; team members named include Nick Pearson and Courtney France. Financially, Outlier closed a US$7.35M pre-seed round, noted as one of the largest pre-seed raises in New Zealand history, to fund development of the capsule and related operations.

Total raised

$7M

Funding rounds

1

Latest round

Seed

Latest activity

Jul 2026