Mitsubishi Electric has made a statement of intent by acquiring one of the most talked about companies in the Japanese space sector over the last few years. It is to acquire Infostellar, a company that provides ground segment as a service (GSaaS) offerings for orbiting satellites through its proprietary ground station platform, StellarStation. The platform virtually networks ground stations around the world via the cloud to give satellite operators opportunities to make contact with their satellites through a centralized service. Mitsubishi Electric announced the deal, July 2.
The two companies will now aim to accelerate the global expansion of ground station networks and establish a high-quality, reliable space communications infrastructure. Their collaboration will combine Mitsubishi Electric’s satellite and ground facility development, manufacturing and system integration capabilities with Infostellar’s GSaaS platform and agile development capabilities.
Together, the companies plan to develop space communications infrastructure tailored to the needs of operators of small-satellite constellations, as well as reduce their initial investment and operational burdens. Mitsubishi Electric and Infostellar aim to create new business models in the space industry and contribute to the sustainable growth of space-based activities.
“We are delighted to take this new step forward by joining the Mitsubishi Electric Group, which has a long history and solid technological capabilities in the space industry. Integrating our technological capabilities will enable us to accelerate the development of large-scale ground station networks and establish them as an integral part of space infrastructure, contributing to the further development of the space industry.” Naomi Kurahara, Infostellar CEO, said in a statement.
