1/15/2023 - Written By Caleb Henry
Interstellar Technologies has had little visible progress (at least in the West) for years, having launched a series of sounding rockets (one success, four failures) funded by investors and crowdsourced fans. In raising 3.8 billion yen, the company’s focus appears to have shifted strongly towards its orbital vehicle, Zero. Per Interstellar Technologies’s press release, Japan launches just 2% of the global space industry (how this was counted, by mass or number of spacecraft was not specified), and half of Japan’s domestic launch demand goes overseas. The startup aims to change that. Zero is designed to lift 100kg to a 500km orbit – the same as Japanese conglomerate Space One’s Kairos rocket. It is curious that Japanese small launch startups remain focused on the smallest spacecraft, while U.S. and European launch startups are migrating to much higher lift capacities (usually 1 metric ton of more). We would not be surprised if Japan’s role in operating the Kibo airlock on the ISS influenced this focus on lower mass spacecraft.
SOURCE: https://www.istellartech.com/news/press/6960