en.Wedoany.com Reported - Astroscale, a leading Japanese on-orbit servicing company, and SKY Perfect JSAT, a premier satellite operator in the Asia-Pacific region, officially announced a strategic partnership on May 19. The two companies will engage in deep collaboration in areas such as on-orbit satellite inspection, repair, and life extension, jointly promoting the development and commercialization of sustainable space infrastructure.
Under the agreement framework, SKY Perfect JSAT will subscribe to new shares issued by Astroscale through a third-party allotment as a strategic investor, strengthening their business alliance through capital cooperation. These two Japanese companies occupy different segments of Japan's space industry landscape—Astroscale, founded in 2013, focuses on a full spectrum of on-orbit service solutions including debris removal, life extension, and on-orbit situational awareness; SKY Perfect JSAT, established in 1985 and headquartered in Tokyo's Minato Ward, operates the largest fleet of geostationary communication satellites in the Asia-Pacific region, providing satellite broadcasting and communication services to commercial and government clients. The binding of an operator and a service provider through capital ties offers a replicable commercial cooperation model for the normalized deployment of on-orbit services.
This collaboration will focus on Astroscale-led on-orbit service programs, initially advancing three core mission types: satellite inspection, repair, and life extension. On-orbit life extension involves using dedicated service vehicles to take over propulsion for communication satellites that have exhausted their fuel but still have functional payloads, potentially extending their operational life by several years and directly deferring the capital expenditure required for replacement launches. On-orbit inspection and repair provide operators with real-time fault diagnosis and component replacement capabilities, maximizing the full lifecycle value of individual satellites. The two companies will also jointly explore new business opportunities to further broaden the scope of services.
Beyond this partnership, SKY Perfect JSAT has been systematically advancing its space infrastructure layout. In March this year, the company selected U.S.-based Kratos Defense as its strategic partner for 5G NTN satellite ground systems, collaborating to build a 3GPP-compliant integrated satellite-terrestrial communication network. In April, the company, together with JRC and Sharp, was selected for the Japanese Ministry of Defense's "Multi-Orbit Communication System Resilience Technology Development and Verification" project, aiming to build a next-generation communication system integrating geostationary and non-geostationary orbits by March 2028. Its subsidiary, Space Compass, also received support from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's "Space Strategy Fund" in the same month to advance geostationary orbit optical data relay services. The partnership with Astroscale completes a critical piece of its space infrastructure puzzle—on-orbit asset maintenance and life extension—enabling the company to initially form a complete value chain of "manufacturing and deployment—communication operations—on-orbit maintenance—space data services."
From an industry perspective, space debris removal and on-orbit services are transitioning from experimental verification to commercial deployment. Astroscale recently received a 1.25 billion yen grant from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) to develop electric propulsion on-orbit refueling technology for geostationary orbit; the company is also raising long-term funds through the issuance of zero-coupon convertible bonds and the allotment of new shares to Hulic and SKY Perfect JSAT. The company's financial results for the nine months ending January 2026 showed a 125.1% year-on-year increase in project revenue and a 194.5% increase in overall revenue. With SKY Perfect JSAT entering with capital, the dual engines of commercial orders and capital-driven growth in the on-orbit servicing sector are beginning to operate in synergy.
For the information and communications industry, the stability and sustainable operation of space infrastructure are crucial to the underlying reliability of global communication networks. Communication satellites serve as space-based nodes for transnational data transmission, broadband access in remote areas, maritime and aeronautical communications, and 5G NTN integrated satellite-terrestrial networks. If a satellite malfunctions in orbit or is prematurely decommissioned due to fuel depletion, it directly impacts the continuity and redundancy of global communication links. The collaboration between Astroscale and SKY Perfect JSAT will effectively extend the service life of communication satellites, reduce the risk of network disruptions caused by premature satellite failure, and provide vital assurance for the continuous and stable operation of global information and communication networks.
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