Japan has a growing list of Space Stocks, and is a welcome sign of a healthy appetite for funding space companies. The following Japanese space companies are developing unique technology for new space markets. They are listed on the Japanese Stock Exchange.
iQPS (Institute for Q-shu Pioneers of Space)
iQPS specializes in small, high-resolution SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) satellite technology for Earth observation. Their primary service is providing near-real-time data and imagery acquired by their “QPS-SAR” constellation. This data can be used for various applications, including:
Disaster monitoring: Observing flood damage, landslides, and other disaster impacts even through cloud cover and at night.
Infrastructure monitoring: Detecting changes in bridges, roads, and other critical infrastructure.
Security and surveillance: Tracking ship movements and monitoring borders.
Agriculture and forestry: Assessing crop health and deforestation.
Urban planning: Analyzing urban development and changes.
iSpace – A Commercial Moon Lander
iSpace is a lunar exploration company aiming to provide low-cost, high-frequency transportation and data services to the Moon. Their services include:
Lunar Landers: Designing, building, and operating lunar landers to deliver customer payloads to the lunar surface or orbit.
Lunar Rovers: Developing small, lightweight rovers for surface mobility, data acquisition (including imagery and environmental data), and potentially resource utilization technology demonstration.
Payload Services: Offering transportation for various payloads, including scientific instruments, technology demonstrations, commercial products, and even art.
Data Services: Envisioning collecting and providing lunar data (imagery, environmental data, telemetry, resource information) to customers for mission planning and lunar surface development.
Astroscale – Space Debris and On-Orbit Servicing
Astroscale is focused on on-orbit servicing to ensure the safe and sustainable development of space. Their services address the growing problem of space debris and aim to extend the life of existing satellites. These services include:
End-of-Life Services (EOL): Safely de-orbiting defunct satellites that are pre-engineered for servicing.
Active Debris Removal (ADR): Capturing and removing large, non-prepared pieces of debris currently in orbit.
Life Extension: Providing services to refuel and maintain geostationary (GEO) satellites, extending their operational lifespan.
In-Situ Space Situational Awareness (SSA) / Inspection: Diagnosing and characterizing objects in orbit.