Astroscale’s Largest Funding Round to Date Closes, Bringing Total Capital Raised To US $300 Million SatNews – SatNews Publishers

AstroscaleHoldings Inc. (Astroscale), provider ofsatellite servicing andlong-term orbital sustainabilityacross all orbits, announcedit closed its Series F round with additional funding of U.S.$109million from a group ofnewinvestors.Led byinvestors from THE FUND Limited Partnership in Japan,with participation frominternational investorsincludingSeraphim Space Investment Trustplc (SeraphimSpace)in the United KingdomandDNCA Invest Beyond Global Leaders,a sub-fund of the umbrella structured fundDNCA Investincorporated under the laws of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg,managed by DNCA Finance,a Limited Partnershipin France. Thisis thelargestfunding roundin the companys historyandbrings the totalamountraised to U.S.$300 million,affirming investors confidence in therapidly expandingon-orbit servicingmarket.

SinceAstroscalesinception in2013,we have dedicated ourselves tosolvingthe technological, economic and policy aspectsofsatellite servicingto buildasustainableinfrastructurefor a thriving space ecosystem, said Nobu Okada, Founder & CEO ofAstroscale. This latest round of funding willdramaticallyaccelerateour abilityto makeon-orbit servicingroutine by 2030.It alsoshowsthatinvestorsaround the world,acknowledge the tremendouspotential in theemergingon-orbit servicing market, whichwill revolutionize thefuture of space.

The Series F funding round represents another significant milestone forAstroscale,and willrapidlyadvance therange ofmissions and servicesthat thecompanyis developingglobally.The End-of-Life Services byAstroscale-demonstration (ELSA-d)missionsuccessfully completed its first technical demonstrationinorbitin August,andAstroscaleispreparing for the capture without tumblingphase,which is expected to becompletedby the end of the calendar year.In Japan, the Active Debris Removal byAstroscale-Japan (ADRAS-J) spacecraft, which was selected by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency for Phase I of its Commercial Removal of Debris Demonstration Project, will enter the assembly phase in early 2022. In the UnitedKingdom, the team was recentlyawarded a bid to study the removal of two defunct satellitesfrom the UK Space Agency and is maturing the End-of-Life technology and capability towards a commercial service offering by 2024. TheAstroscaleU.S. and Israel teams are meeting milestones fortheLife Extension In-Orbit(LEXI) spacecraftandhave successfullyexecuted key tests.

The market opportunity for on-orbit servicing continues to develop andmultiple sources projectsignificant growth by the end of the decade.This includes not only end-of-life,activedebris removal,in situspace situational awarenessand life extensionservices, but many other capabilities thatwill actively contribute to the sustainable use of spaceandmaximize the use of expensivesatelliteassets in a sustainable manner.This expansion of serviceswill include in-orbit manufacturing,as well assatelliteassembly,refuelling, recycling and morein the near future.

Multiple new investors highlight the importance of taking steps to develop servicing technologies andaddress issues of sustainability.The investment fromSeraphimSpace,the worlds first listed fund focused on space technologies and a globally recognized leader in identifying promising space companies, isa strong signal thatAstroscaleis leading the development of the servicing market.The investment fromTHE FUND, one of the leading independent cross-over growthcapitalorganizationsin Japan, represents a long-term commitment from local financial marketsfor sustainable space utilization.Additionally, investmentfrom AXA Life Insurance Co.,Ltd. underpinsthefuturepotentialofthespacesector,including satellite services.

The long-term sustainable health of the space sector is becoming ever more important with tens of thousands of satellite launches planned in the coming years, saidMarkBoggett, CEO of SeraphimSpace.Astroscaleis already the category leader, the trailblazer in the globalon-orbit servicing market. Its founder and CEO Nobu Okada is credited worldwide as a key figure in galvanizing the space industry into action. The ball is now firmly rolling on regulation and self-regulation to protect the space environment. We believe that now is the optimum time to invest into this emerging market that will be worth billions over the coming decades.

This funding round will allowAstroscaletopioneersafe and cost-effective space capabilities across the servicing ecosystem, expand regional facilities for mass production in Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States, and support global growth.Since its last funding round in October 2020,Astroscalehasincreased its global team by more than60 percent and now boasts approximately 250teammembers around the globe.

Investors inAstroscaleSeries F Round:

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Astroscale's Largest Funding Round to Date Closes, Bringing Total Capital Raised To US $300 Million SatNews - SatNews Publishers