Japan has its own startup culture in space technologies. One of the most prominent enterprises among them is iQPS Inc.. Founded back in 2005 by Dr. Yasaka and two colleagues, the company was established on the island of Kyushu in the southwest of the country. iQPS quickly gained recognition for successfully establishing a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) constellation of 36 SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) satellites, each weighing around 100 kilograms. These satellites can observe any location on Earth in approximately 10 minutes.

In addition to combining artificial intelligence with the collected observation data, iQPS’s satellite constellation offers another unique technical feature: their antennas have deployable, umbrella-like opening reflectors made of gold-plated molybdenum. This particular innovation sets iQPS apart in the industry, as it helps reduce launch costs. The company launched its first satellite from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in India in December 2019.