Astroscale, a company that services satellites and develops technology to remove orbital debris, has closed another funding round, expanding its investor pool to attract millions of space enthusiasts. We included millionaires and major Japanese manufacturing multinationals.
The Series G round totaled over $76 million, bringing the company’s total funding to date to $376 million. New investors include Yusaku Maezawa, the billionaire behind the private spaceflight project dearMoon and the first Japanese civilian to visit the International Space Station, as well as Mitsubishi Electric and Mitsubishi UFJ Bank. , Mitsubishi Corporation, Development Bank of Japan, and FEL Corporation. .
Separately, Astroscale announced a new partnership with Mitsubishi Electric to jointly develop and manufacture a satellite bus for Japan’s National Security Agency. The bus is equipped with an Astroscale docking plate, which allows the bus to be docked and moved if it becomes unable to move off track at the end of its service life.
Astroscale develops various technologies under the umbrella of “orbital services”. This includes the development of spacecraft capable of rendezvous and docking with other spacecraft. When docked, the Astroscale spacecraft will perform services to extend the useful life of the satellite, as well as safely de-orbit spacecraft and other “junk” debris that is densely packed in low-Earth orbit. I can.
The company launched End-of-Life Services with its Astroscale (ELSA-d) demonstration system in March 2021, successfully demonstrating the magnetic capture of a 175-kilogram spacecraft and the release of another spacecraft. Shortly after that maneuver, however, the servicing spacecraft began experiencing problems with its thrusters. Astroscale issued its final mission update in September 2022, noting that the two satellites continue to orbit separately and are “finalizing the next steps of the mission.”
Astroscale also plans to launch another debris removal demonstration project as part of a contract with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. That project, Active Debris Removal by Astroscale-Japan (ADRAS-J), is intended to eventually remove the rocket’s second stage from orbit, and is scheduled to launch later this year on a Rocket Lab Electron rocket.
In recent years, the number of artificial satellites launched into orbit has increased rapidly, and the problem of space junk is attracting attention. There are millions of pieces of space junk in low earth orbit. Large debris, such as defunct satellites and rocket second stages, are being tracked by the North American Aerospace Defense Force. However, there may be tens of millions more objects smaller than a centimeter currently untracked by any company or government.
“The world relies more on satellites than ever before, and if the orbital environment becomes disrupted or unusable, our lives will change irrevocably,” said Astroscale CEO and founder. Makoto Okada said in a statement.
