ArkEdge Space Launches and Begins Operations of Three New Micro-satellites

With this mission, the number of in-house developed and operated satellites has reached twelve.

The three satellites were launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket (Transporter-15) at 3:44 a.m. JST on November 29, 2025, and were successfully deployed into their designated orbits. Later the same day, ArkEdge Space confirmed communications using test signals via its own ground stations, marking the start of the Launch and Early Orbit Phase (LEOP). Over the coming months, the team will conduct initial operations and evaluate each satellite’s performance against defined success criteria.

This project builds on standardized satellite-bus design and production processes developed under a Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) program initiated in FY 2021, and further advanced through the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) initiative launched in FY 2023 as part of the “Research and Development Project for the Space Industry Information Infrastructure (Development and Verification Support for Multi-Purpose Bus for Micro-Satellites).” These efforts enabled ArkEdge Space to design, manufacture, test, and operate multiple satellites simultaneously, leading to the successful three-satellite launch in this mission.

Beginning with AE1b, deployed from the International Space Station on December 9, ArkEdge Space has now placed a total of nine 6U class satellites into orbit over the past year and brought them into operation. This represents the highest number achieved by a Japanese entity during a 12-month period of time (internal analysis).