By Kantaro Komiya
TOKYO (Reuters) – For Asia’s biggest satellite company, SKY Perfect JSAT, the rise of Elon Musk’s rocket and satellite internet giant SpaceX under the second Donald Trump U.S. presidency is not a headwind, its president said on Thursday.
The Japanese firm will most likely see deeper ties with SpaceX, President Eiichi Yonekura said, after it announced a $230 million investment in Planet Labs’ low-Earth orbit observation satellite Pelican to expand its satellite imagery business.
“The rapid advancement of SpaceX is never a negative factor for our growth,” Yonekura told an earnings briefing, citing high dependence on SpaceX rockets to lift its satellites into space.
Musk’s closeness to Trump has influenced U.S. policies in a way that could benefit SpaceX, such as a greater focus for Mars missions. Sources have told Reuters that the Trump administration is likely to axe the National Space Council after SpaceX lobbying.
Including the launches of Japanese radar satellite startup iQPS, which JSAT owns a minority stake, “we are probably the biggest SpaceX customer in Asia … and Planet’s Pelicans basically use Falcon 9 for launches,” Yonekura said.
JSAT operates 17 geosynchronous communication satellites, the largest number in Asia, and will venture into the low-orbit observation business by building a constellation of 10 Planet Pelicans in 2027.
It is aiming for 23 billion yen ($151 million) in sales from the satellite data businesses in fiscal year 2030, nearly sixfold from current levels, mainly from national security clients.
SpaceX has lowered the cost of rocket launches by developing the reusable Falcon 9 booster, which has delivered thousands of communication satellites to orbit for its internet service, Starlink.
Even if JSAT loses access to SpaceX boosters, it would work with long-standing European partner Arianespace or Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, whose H3 rocket will become cost-competitive in four to five years, he added.
($1 = 152.3500 yen)
(Reporting by Kantaro Komiya; Editing by Gerry Doyle)
