Axelspace: Notice of Signing a Service contract for In-Orbit Demonstration with Pale Blue, Inc.

TOKYO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec 22, 2025--

Axelspace Corporation (“Axelspace”), a leading microsatellite company committed to making “Space within Your Reach,” has entered into a service agreement with Pale Blue Inc. (“Pale Blue”), a company that develops, manufactures, and sells thrusters (engines) for small satellites, for an in-orbit demonstration, as detailed below.

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Axelspace provides AxelLiner Laboratory (AL Lab), a new service originating from the AxelLiner business that is specialized in in-orbit demonstration of space components.

Under this contract, an in-orbit demonstration of a fast-start Hall thruster developed by Pale Blue is scheduled to be conducted in 2027.

Nonetheless, conducting in-orbit demonstrations in a short period of time is known to be a significant challenge due to the inconsistent opportunities provided for in-orbit demonstration missions and its lengthy process from selection to launch, often taking up to several years.

Against this backdrop, space policies promoted by government bodies—including the Space Strategic Fund—position the establishment of a domestic satellite supply chain as a key priority. As a result, demand is growing for timely in-orbit demonstrations of innovative satellite components originating in Japan.

To overcome these existing challenges involved in in-orbit demonstrations, Axelspace has developed a service tailored to such special needs by leveraging the short development time and mass-production capabilities realized by AxelLiner.

Jun Asakawa, Co-Founder and CEO of Pale Blue, commented;
We are deeply honored to have signed a demonstration contract with Axelspace for the 2027 in-orbit demonstration of our compact Hall thruster, “PBH-100.” We will validate the product’s key features—high thrust, high specific impulse, and rapid startup performance—in space. Through this demonstration, we aim to further deepen the strong partnership we have built with Axelspace through the development and manufacturing of propulsion systems, and contribute to the expansion of the small satellite market.

https://pale-blue.co.jp/

Yuya Nakamura, President and CEO, Axelspace Corporation, commented;
We are delighted to announce our agreement with Pale Blue to perform the critical in-orbit demonstration of their compact Hall thruster, executing this technology validation utilizing our proprietary AxelLiner Laboratory platform. By facilitating the rapid path to orbit and offering our extensive expertise—derived from our own experience as a satellite component user—we are actively supporting Pale Blue’s efforts to accelerate their global business expansion.

The full press release is available here: https://www.axelspace.com/news/paleblue/

Jun Asakawa, Co-founder & CEO of Pale Blue (left in photo) and Yuya Nakamura, President and CEO of Axelspace

TOKYO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec 22, 2025--

Axelspace Corporation (“Axelspace”), a leading microsatellite company committed to making “Space within Your Reach,” is pleased to announce a multi-launch agreement (MLA) with Exolaunch, a global launch integrator and leader in launch mission management, satellite integration and satellite deployment technologies.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251219038364/en/

The Multi-Launch Agreement will accelerate the growth of Axelspace. In particular, one satellite scheduled for launch under the new Agreement will be used in the AxelLiner business’s in-orbit demonstration service, “AxelLiner Laboratory”. Exolaunch has already secured launches for eight (8) Axelspace’s satellites on the upcoming missions.

Axelspace provides AxelLiner Laboratory (AL Lab), a new service originating from the AxelLiner business that is specialized in in-orbit demonstration of space components.

Nonetheless, conducting in-orbit demonstrations in a short period of time is known to be a significant challenge due to the inconsistent opportunities provided for in-orbit demonstration missions and its lengthy process from selection to launch, often taking up to several years.
Against this backdrop, space policies promoted by government bodies—including the Space Strategic Fund—position the establishment of a domestic satellite supply chain as a key priority. As a result, demand is growing for timely in-orbit demonstrations of innovative satellite components originating in Japan.

To overcome these existing challenges involved in in-orbit demonstrations, Axelspace has developed a service tailored to such special needs by leveraging the short development time and mass-production capabilities realized by AxelLiner.
In providing AL Lab services, we recognize that, amid the recent global increase in demand for satellite launches, securing launch opportunities that can flexibly accommodate desired schedules and orbits is a critical risk with a high potential impact on service execution.

“Axelspace is a trailblazer in Japan’s space industry, and we are proud to support their ongoing satellite launch program through this new Multi-Launch Agreement,” said Kier Fortier, Vice President of Global Business Development at Exolaunch. “With our global footprint, including Exolaunch Japan, and extensive flight heritage in delivering small satellites safely to orbit, we look forward to providing Axelspace with reliable global launch access and deep launch mission management expertise to support efficient, quick deployment of Axelspace’s satellite constellation.”

The full press release is available here: https://www.axelspace.com/news/multi_launch_agreement_with_exolaunch/

Axelspace Signing Agreement on a Multi-Launch Arrangement and the Launch of New Satellites with Exolaunch