
Astroscale Brings Total Capital Raised to U.S. $191
Million, Closing Series E Funding Round
October 13, 2020
Astroscale Holdings Inc. has closed
its Series E round with additional funding of U.S. $51
million from a group of investors led by aSTART Co.,
Ltd. (“aSTART”). This latest round brings the total
investment raised to U.S. $191 million and makes
Astroscale the most funded on-orbit services and
logistics company globally and most funded space venture
in Japan.
The significant investment raised
since its founding in 2013 has allowed Astroscale to
establish a global footprint across five countries and
grow to over 140 team members. Each of the five global
offices are working in concert to achieve the Astroscale
mission of safe and sustainable development of space for
future generations. Astroscale Japan is on schedule to
ship the pioneering End-of-Life Services by
Astroscale-demonstration (ELSA-d) mission, the world’s
first demonstration of commercial orbital debris
removal. Astroscale U.K. is leading the development of
the In-Orbit Servicing Control Centre - National
Facility, which will form the basis for satellite
servicing mission operations. Astroscale U.S., and its
newly established subsidiary, Astroscale Israel, are
focused on satellite servicing research and developing a
mission for life extension of geostationary satellites.
With the addition of an administrative office in
Singapore, Astroscale is uniquely positioned to meet the
global challenges of securing orbital sustainability.
“In Astroscale’s
seven-and-a-half-year history, we have seen a growing
awareness of the debris issue and the recognition that
protecting space technologies is essential for improving
our daily lives and helping to ensure sustainability on
Earth,” said Nobu Okada, Founder & CEO. “Our multiple
funding rounds are a testament to the power of
Astroscale's vision of space sustainability, and this
latest series will allow us to continue developing the
technologies that will lead the debris removal and
on-orbit servicing market.”
“Space debris is a serious issue
that has the potential to affect our daily lives, the
global economy and environmental sustainability,” said
Kazumasa Watanabe, CEO of aSTART. “Astroscale is not
only leading the market with its unrivaled technology,
but is also making a global impact by contributing to
the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
This combination of technology advancement and societal
benefit is why aSTART has invested in Astroscale since
Series C. We will continue to support Astroscale in
developing new on-orbit servicing capabilities which
will benefit humankind.”
Senior officials from government
and industry have been increasingly expressing concerns
over the growing dangers of space debris to assets in
orbit. Recently, near misses of space debris with the
International Space Station and multiple conjunction
warnings for both active and defunct satellites have
spurred more concerted international action to overcome
the issue.
At the same time, independent
valuations have estimated that life extension and other
on-orbit satellite services will provide significant
value to commercial and government operators by
repairing or upgrading assets rather than just replacing
them.
This latest funding round will
allow Astroscale to continue developing technologies,
defining business cases and working with policymakers to
ensure debris issues are addressed and servicing
opportunities for sustainability are realized.
Investors in Astroscale Series E
Round:
•
AS aSTART 1 Limited Partnership (aSTART Co.,
Ltd.)
•
Hulic Co., Ltd.
•
I-NET CORP.
•
SHIMIZU CORPORATION
•
SPARX Space Frontier Fund (SPARX Innovation for
Future Co.,Ltd.)
|