Japan's Astroscale partners with Digantara and Bellatrix to offer orbital services in Asia-Pacific

Japan's Astroscale partners with Digantara and Bellatrix to offer orbital services in Asia-Pacific

Japan's Astroscale, a company specializing in space debris removal, has announced a collaboration with Bengaluru-based space firms Digantara and Bellatrix Aerospace to work together on technology and services, as stated on Friday.

The partnership is expected to lead to an orbital services proposal for Indian clients "in one to two years," marking Astroscale's first operations in the Asia-Pacific region outside of Japan, said Eddie Kato, president of the company's Japan unit.

"India has been on our top list of possible markets" with established space capabilities, where Astroscale's on-orbit servicing technology would meet demand, Kato told Reuters. He also mentioned that Astroscale is interested in expanding to South Korea, Taiwan, Indonesia, and Australia.

"India's space policy used to be rather protectionist, but we've seen very rapid moves, to bolster ties with the United States and liberalise the market for commercial actors - even fostering them," Kato said.

The agreement did not specify any financial terms.

India has expanded its space sector to include private players, beyond the government-run Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), and has set up a 10 billion rupee ($116 million) fund to back startups.

Astroscale is collaborating with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) to demonstrate a commercial debris removal mission in 2027. The company has also secured contracts with the US Space Force and the space agencies of the UK and France, which involve experimental services aimed at extending a satellite's lifespan.

With the growing number of satellites in orbit, the risk of potential collisions is estimated to exceed $500 million over the next five years, according to industry forecasts.

Digantara offers space situational awareness services to track orbital objects and holds contracts with several US defense agencies. Bellatrix Aerospace specializes in manufacturing satellite propulsion systems.

With the partners, Astroscale would first provide on-orbit services for Indian government clients, Kato said.

The partnership will "open up new market opportunities in both established and emerging space economies," said Shreyas Mirji, Vice President of Digantara, in a statement.

"This marks a significant milestone for us as we enter the Japanese market," said Rohan M Ganapathy, CEO of Bellatrix.

This initiative is the latest in a growing number of collaborations between Japanese and Indian space companies, such as the partnership between moon explorer ispace and rocket maker Skyroot, as well as the tie-up between SKY Perfect JSAT-affiliated (9412.T) Orbital Lasers and robotics company InspeCity.

Officials have announced that the Indian and Japanese governments will hold their third round of "space dialogue" policy discussions in Tokyo in the coming days.