Space Compass Selected for JAXA’s “Space Strategy Fund”

April 22, 2026

Space Compass Corporation has been selected by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) under the Space Strategy Fund program, “Research, Development, and Demonstration toward the Realization of Data Relay Services Utilizing Satellite Optical Communications”.

Background and Purpose

The volume of data generated in space has increased exponentially, creating an urgent need for next‑generation communication infrastructure capable of efficiently collecting and transmitting such data. This project aims to build a high‑speed, high‑capacity optical data-relay infrastructure using an optical relay satellite deployed in geostationary orbit (GEO).

Positioned as Space Compass’s vision “Space Integrated Computing Network”, this effort represents a major step toward enabling real‑time Earth‑observation insights and addressing the data‑latency challenges faced by Earth‑observation satellites today, with support from JAXA’s Space Strategy Fund.

Project Outline 

To realize satellite optical communication‑based data relay services, it is essential to develop multi-orbit orchestration technologies that can automatically configure, operate, and supervise end‑to‑end communication paths by optimally coordinating satellite network resources across time and space. These must support diverse data‑transmission demands from many observation satellites operating in various orbital planes. 

This development effort will focus on creating a flexible network control and monitoring system capable of responding dynamically to mission requirements in a multi‑orbit communication environment. Space Compass will demonstrate this optical communication using the system and drive service commercialization leveraging the technological achievements.

Funding agency Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)

Development themeSatellite optical data relay service

Development technology            Multi-orbit network monitoring and control

Maximum grant amount              23.5 Bil JPY *

Project period   ~ March 2031*

*Note: The amount and the period are subject to change depending on stage‑gate evaluations 

Comments from Hiromi Komatsu, Co‑CEO of Space Compass: “We are honored to be selected for JAXA’s Space Strategy Fund and sincerely thank all stakeholders for their support. Optical data relay services enable real-time Earth observation by overcoming data-latency challenges and will play a key role in addressing societal issues such as national security and disaster response.”