As we begin 2026, I would like to extend my sincere New Year’s greetings to all our partners, customers, and supporters around the world.
The year 2025 marked a significant milestone for ArkEdge Space. As of January 1, 2026, five years have passed since we rebranded under our current name and began raising capital. In February 2025, we completed a Series B funding round of JPY 8.0 billion, bringing our total funding to JPY 10.7 billion.
In 2025, we also moved decisively from preparation to execution of our satellite development and operations. With tangible results now emerging, we have entered a new phase of challenge and growth.
During 2025, we commenced operations of 7 satellites developed in-house. As of January 2026, we are operating 8 satellites in orbit: seven 6U satellites and one 3U satellite. Including these, the total number of satellites we have developed and operated has reached 12, and the number of satellites we have supported through joint operations and partnerships has reached 17. This scale places ArkEdge Space among the top organizations in Japan capable of delivering satellite missions end-to-end, from design and development to in-orbit operations.
Together with our partners, we have achieved a wide range of technical milestones: world-class ground resolution for 6U-class satellites, hyperspectral imaging, IoTcommunications, demonstration of ultra-small propulsion systems, and maritime data acquisition, among others.
Beyond satellite hardware, we have steadily built capabilities in data services. Our ground station network now operates from two sites in Japan, Makinohara in Shizuoka Prefecture and Taiki Town in Hokkaido, strengthening the resilience and flexibility of our command and operations.
In parallel, we launched ArkEdge Insights®, a data services platform that integrates satellite with ground-based data and AI technologies, enabling time-series analysis accessible to a wide range of users. The platform has already been adopted by the Paraguayan Space Agency, with applications advancing in agriculture and disaster response. In addition, our work has been selected under Japan’s Ministry of the Environment SBIR program, supporting demonstration projects related to biodiversity and natural environmental data utilization in Japan and overseas.
Centered on satellite data utilization, satellite IoT messaging, and human capacity building, we are accelerating international collaborations to deliver satellite-enabled global data infrastructure. To date, we have signed memoranda of understanding and related agreements across 10 countries, establishing 25 projects, spanning South America (including Paraguay and Brazil), Central Asia (including Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan), Africa (including Egypt and Kenya), and Europe, including Norway. These initiatives encompass pilot projects, master planning, and feasibility studies, and have been introduced at international forums such as TICAD9, COP30, and the Japan–Central Asia Summit.
We are also extending our ambitions beyond Earth orbit. Development of the Japan–Europe joint mission Comet Interceptor is progressing steadily, and under Japan’s Space Strategy Fund, we have begun contracted development of lunar positioning satellites, contributing to the foundation of future cislunar infrastructure and deep-space exploration.
For details on the outcomes of each project, please see below:https://arkedgespace.com/en/news
Our mission at ArkEdge Space is clear:
“Empowering people with satellites for a prosperous future.”
What matters most to us in this mission is simply this: serving people and empowering them. I have spent much of my life working hands-on with customers and users, engaging directly with disaster-affected communities, bereaved families, and local populations across diverse regions such as the Amazon and Africa. For me, “empowering people” is not just a slogan. It is a responsibility shaped through my own experiences.
As I prepared this message, recent events have reminded us how rapidly the world is changing—with new rising tensions and flashpoints in South America and East Asia. In this context, we continue to engage deeply with regions such as Okinawa, Kagoshima, and the Southwestern Islands of Japan, as well as with partners in Africa, South America, and island nations. In the satellite sector, discussions often focus narrowly on imaging capability or technical performance. However, we believe equal attention must be paid to structural challenges, underlying vulnerabilities, and the communities that are truly at risk.
As a startup, our strength lies in speed, adaptability, and proximity to the field. By building infrastructure systems that support not only rapid crisis response but also long-term structural problem-solving, we aim to contribute meaningfully to a safer and more prosperous future.
Many of our initiatives remain at the research and development phase, and challenges sometimes remain. Nevertheless, 2026 represents a critical turning point as we move decisively toward real-world applications and commercialization. In recognition of these efforts, I was honored to be ranked No.1 among entrepreneurs by Forbes JAPAN. This recognition reflects not individual achievement, but the collective work of our entire team and the trust placedby our partners and supporters.
If there is one reason ArkEdge Space has attracted such expectations at an early stage, I believe, lies in our shared sense of purpose and mission. Many people have chosen to place their hopes in that, and talented colleagues have gathered around it.
One year ago, I visited Shoka Sonjuku, a historic private academy in Japan, where I began reflecting on the meaning of the Japanese concept of kokorozashi”, which is a mission rooted in purpose and resolve. As the new year begins, I reflect on it again, choosing sincere commitment, even when imperfect, over cleverness. With that conviction, I will devote myself fully to realizing the ArkEdge purpose.
I sincerely ask for your continued support and partnership in the year ahead.
January 7, 2026
Takayoshi Fukuyo
CEO, ArkEdge Space Inc.