Temasek subsidiary joins Japanese spacetech firm’s $9.2m round

Space BD, a Japan-based spacetech startup that views space as a business domain, has raised over 1 billion yen (around US$9.2 million) from existing shareholders.

The firm made a third-party allotment of shares to Incubate Fund, Anniversaire Holdings, SMBC Venture Capital, and Mizuho Capital. Joining the round as a new shareholder is Pavilion Capital, which is wholly owned by Temasek.

Space BD currently has 36 employees. / Photo credit: Space BD

The new round brings the startup’s total fundraise to 1.9 billion yen (US$16.7 million).

Founded in 2017, Space BD provides services for satellite launches, space experiments in microgravity onboard the International Space Station, and sample analyses on ground. Its latest fundraise will boost its satellite launch service expansion and talent recruitment efforts.

“Our aim is to respond to increasing and diverse demands relevant to space, including demand for regional industrial development, education and human resource development, and technical project management based on our technological capabilities,” said the firm in a statement.

See also: How Southeast Asia’s spacetech industry can truly take off

Space BD added SpaceX as a launch option in November as it eyes global launches outside of Japan. The company has handled over 100 orders both locally and globally, and it has worked on more than 50 satellites to date.

Currency converted from Japanese yen to US dollar: US$1 = 113.32 yen.