By Series B,The Bridge
Copyright thebridge
On the 17th, ElevationSpace, a company engaged in the development of reentry satellites, announced that it has raised ¥1.1 billion in a pre-Series B round, bringing its total funding to ¥3.7 billion.
This round saw participation from eight companies, including Beyond Next Ventures (Beyond Next Ventures No. 3 Investment Business Limited Partnership), Genesia Ventures (Genesia Venture Fund No. 3 Investment Business Limited Partnership), Tohoku University Venture Partners (THVP-2 Investment Business Limited Partnership), FFG Venture Business Partners (FFG Venture No. 4 Investment Business Limited Partnership), Mirai Creation Investments (Mirai Creation No. 2 Investment Business Limited Partnership), Z Venture Capital, Gougin Capital (Gougin Goenmusubi No. 1 Fund), and Shin Nippon Air Technologies. Additionally, the company has secured loans from entities such as JA Mitsui Leasing.
The company aims to realize a transportation infrastructure between space and Earth, and is currently developing the space environment utilization and recovery platform “ELS-R” and the high-frequency material recovery service “ELS-RS” from manned bases. As the first step, they plan to launch “Aoba,” Japan’s first privately-led reentry satellite, after the latter half of 2026.
Reentry and recovery are the culmination of complex technologies, and the company, in collaboration with Toyota Industries Corporation, is developing heat-resistant materials. They have also completed environmental testing of an engineering model at a newly established dedicated factory in Fukushima. Furthermore, NeSTRA, aiming to develop a Mars lander, is expanding its proprietary technology, having been contracted for JAXA’s Space Strategy Fund
Reentry and recovery represents the crystallization of composite technologies, and the company is jointly developing heat-resistant materials with Toyota Industries Corporation, as well as establishing a dedicated factory in Fukushima where environmental testing of engineering models has been completed. Furthermore, NeSTRA, which aims to develop Mars landers, has been commissioned for JAXA’s space strategy fund project, advancing the expansion of proprietary technologies.
The newly raised funds will be allocated to manufacturing the flight model of ‘Aoba,’ full-scale development of ELS-R/ELS-RS, and personnel recruitment. The company’s policy is to strengthen partnerships with regional companies and financial institutions primarily in the Tohoku, Kyushu, and San’in regions, aiming to build a foundation for future mass production systems and overseas expansion.
According to the release, since Series A, the company’s organizational scale has expanded to over 50 people. While solidifying its business foundation through the start of Fukushima factory operations and collaborations with government and defense sectors, the company has raised a cumulative total of 3.7 billion yen.
