Japan’s Astroscale has taken a significant step in advancing its space situational awareness and orbital debris inspection ambitions by announcing the launch of its ISSA-J1 satellite onboard India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) in 2027.

The agreement, formalized with NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), ISRO’s commercial arm, represents the first-ever dedicated PSLV launch procured by a Japanese entity, underlining India’s growing stature as a preferred launch services provider for international clients.

The spacecraft, named “In-situ Space Situational Awareness-Japan 1” (ISSA-J1), will lift off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, in spring 2027.

Designed under Japan’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, which is overseen by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), the mission embodies Tokyo’s policy thrust toward fostering cutting-edge space technologies via start-up innovation and public-private partnerships.

The SBIR framework ensures that missions like ISSA-J1 not only advance technical frontiers but also secure government-backed pathways toward real-world applications.

The ISSA-J1 mission will serve a highly specialized role in orbital debris diagnosis, a field of growing strategic importance due to the accelerating congestion of low Earth orbit. Leveraging Astroscale’s technical expertise in rendezvous, proximity operations, and satellite inspection, the spacecraft will execute close inspections of two large pieces of space debris.

Through advanced sensors and in-situ measurement capabilities, it will characterize the condition of these derelict objects, providing critical data for long-term international space sustainability initiatives. 

The mission is already in its final design stage, with hardware manufacturing and operational planning underway. Astroscale confirmed that assembly and testing phases will commence in the coming months, ensuring the project remains on track for its 2027 deployment timeline.

This hands-on demonstration of debris monitoring and inspection sets the stage for potential follow-on missions that could integrate removal and servicing technologies, building toward Astroscale’s wider mission of orbital debris mitigation.

The launch contract selection itself reflects a competitive and deliberate evaluation process. According to Astroscale Japan President and Managing Director Eddie Kato, NSIL and its PSLV offering were chosen after reviewing more than ten global launch providers. Reliability, technical readiness, competitive costs, and demonstrated heritage factored into the decision.

The PSLV’s track record of nearly 60 successful missions in delivering payloads to low Earth orbit was highlighted as a decisive element in Astroscale’s calculus. With this contract, NSIL consolidates PSLV’s reputation as a trusted medium-lift launcher for international missions.

Importantly, this is the first time a Japanese entity has signed a dedicated PSLV launch agreement, adding a fresh dimension to Japanese-Indian space sector cooperation. Kato described the procurement not only as a key milestone for the ISSA-J1 mission’s success but also as a broader strategic signal of Astroscale’s intent to expand its enterprise footprint in India.

This focus on India does not stop with launch services. Astroscale has already begun building meaningful commercial and technological linkages within India’s rapidly expanding space ecosystem. It has signed memorandums of understanding with Bellatrix Aerospace and Digantara, two high-growth Indian space start-ups, to explore joint opportunities in satellite propulsion, debris monitoring, and data-driven situational awareness solutions.

Beyond start-up collaborations, Astroscale is working with MEMCO Associates to establish enduring ties within India’s space industrial base, spanning supply-chain partnerships and downstream market integration. Kato emphasized these initiatives during his remarks at the India-Japan Economic Forum in August 2025, an event that featured both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, underscoring the strategic convergence in bilateral space cooperation between the two nations.

For India, the agreement positions NSIL as a more competitive contender in the global launch services market, validating ISRO’s “commercial-first” approach, while fostering synergies with Japanese technology developers.

For Japan, the ISSA-J1 mission represents a technological leap in its national roadmap for debris monitoring and strengthens its ties with India, a partner aligned in ambitions for secure, sustainable, and commercially viable access to space.

Taken together, the contract illustrates a maturing landscape where commercial space firms like Astroscale can leverage India’s proven launch technologies and cost-efficient infrastructure to pioneer solutions for one of the most pressing challenges of the 21st century orbital environment: mitigating and managing space debris.

It is a development that not only advances Astroscale’s corporate mission but also reinforces both India’s and Japan’s shared strategic goals of sustainable growth and security in outer space.

Agencies