Title
“Microsatellites: The infrastructure of a new era”
Speaker
Date & Venue
11:20-12:20 on Tuesday, 7th August 2018
Digital Multi-Purpose Hall, Tokyo Tech.
Abstract
At Axelspace we create microsatellites?spacecraft weighing less than 100 Kg?and provide them and the data they generate to our partners around the world. Since our establishment in 2008 we have developed three spacecraft, including the world’s first commercially-traded satellite. Through these projects our satellite technology, born in the labs of the University of Tokyo and the Tokyo Institute of Technology, has continuously improved in performance and reliability. We’ve developed and refined our craft from scratch, reaching a cost-performance advantage that fears no competitors on a global level.
When first we set out on our journey, public interest in the space sector was skeptical at best, especially in Japan. In the past few years, however, thanks to a new interest in the space business in the United States, the tides have turned. Famous entrepreneurs are now tackling orbital challenges, new space startups emerge at a remarkable pace and private capital flows in the sector by the hundreds of millions. As a consequence of this, even the traditional attitude towards space costs and reliability is shifting. The psychological distance from the space business has never been smaller.
In November 2015 Axelspace closed a $15.8M Series A funding round. These funds have a precise objective: the development and launch of three “GRUS” Earth-observation microsatellites and the official kick-off of “AxelGlobe,” our constellation-powered data platform. In the near future we will increase the number of GRUS satellites to 50 units, gaining the unprecedented capability of observing every civilized location of the world, every single day. This infrastructure will be able to support countless applications. From agriculture to ocean monitoring, from local weather forecasting to urban planning, from forestry to construction management: all kinds of different fields will be affected. Axelspace, in collaboration with many business partners including Mitsui & Co., SKY Perfect JSAT and Weathernews, will keep on pushing the boundaries of commercial space utilization.
Some things only become apparent when looking from orbit. We humans need to know more about our planet and about our society, and space technology is a powerful way to accomplish this. We hope you are as excited as us about the possibilities created by this new constellation infrastructure. Axelspace’s expertise is in action, working to make it soon a tangible reality.
