Linde, the world’s largest industrial gases company, plans to expand its commercial space business after surpassing market expectations in quarterly earnings. The U.S.-German company supplies over 80% of U.S. commercial space launches with industrial gases, including liquid hydrogen for cryogenic rocket engines under a NASA contract. Revenues from the commercial space segment have nearly quadrupled in the last three years.

Linde recently secured two long-term agreements to supply bulk industrial gases for rocket launches, supporting the U.S. commercial space sector. CEO Sanjiv Lamba views space as a promising growth opportunity, with double-digit growth in supplying fuels for rocket launches and propulsion systems for satellites. The company reported a 6% increase in adjusted earnings per share to $4.09 in the second quarter, exceeding analysts’ mean estimate of $4.03 per share.

In the April-June period, Linde’s chemicals & energy business experienced a significant 22% growth. The group raised the lower end of its 2025 earnings per share guidance, now anticipating a range of $16.30 to $16.50 compared to the previous range of $16.20 to $16.50. Total sales for the second quarter rose 5% to $8.495 billion, surpassing analysts’ forecast of $8.352 billion.

Read more at Yahoo Finance: Linde targets growth in commercial space market