Mitsui & Co., Ltd. (“Mitsui”, Head Office: Tokyo, President and CEO: Kenichi Hori), together with Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (“Mitsubishi Electric”, Head Office: Tokyo, President and CEO: Kei Uruma), SKY Perfect JSAT Corporation (“SKY Perfect JSAT”, Head Office: Tokyo, Representative Director, President & Chief Executive Officer: Eiichi Yonekura), Synspective Inc. (Head Office: Tokyo, CEO: Motoyuki Arai), Institute for Q-shu Pioneers of Space, Inc. (Head Office: Fukuoka, President & CEO: Shunsuke Onishi), Axelspace Corporation (Head Office: Tokyo, President & CEO: Yuya Nakamura), and Mitsui Bussan Aerospace Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Tokyo, President: Morihiro Aoki) was awarded the Ministry of Defense (Japan)’s public tender for the “satellite constellation* project” on December 24th.

This project is a Private Finance Initiative (PFI) aimed at strengthening the Ministry of Defense’s intelligence-gathering capabilities by building and operating a satellite constellation managed by private companies.

Existing commercial satellite imagery services may not consistently deliver images at the timing required by the Ministry of Defense. Through this project, Mitsui and its partners will aim to ensure stable and timely image acquisition by building and operating a dedicated satellite constellation, granting the Ministry priority imaging rights. Mitsui, Mitsubishi Electric and SKY Perfect JSAT plan to sign a basic agreement with the Ministry of Defense in January 2026. Subsequently, the three companies will establish a special purpose company for this project and, in February 2026, sign a five-year project contract with the Ministry.

Under its Medium-term Management Plan 2026, Mitsui has identified Industrial Business Solutions as a strategic growth area, aiming to build mobility, infrastructure, and digital platforms that support industries. Through this project, Mitsui and its partners will contribute to strengthening national security in the space domain by meeting the Ministry of Defense’s image acquisition needs.

*A system that operates a large number of small satellites in orbit in an integrated manner.

Project Overview







Client
Ministry of Defense (Japan)


Project Name
Satellite constellation project


Bidding Method
Open competitive tender (Comprehensive Evaluation Approach)


Project Scope


Acquisition of image data from satellite constellation
Operation of dedicated ground facilities
General management and related tasks



Project Duration
From contract signing until March 31, 2031 (approximately 5 years)


Successful Bidders


Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
SKY Perfect JSAT Corporation
Mitsui & Co., Ltd.
Synspective Inc.
Institute for Q-shu Pioneers of Space, Inc.
Axelspace Corporation
Mitsui Bussan Aerospace Co., Ltd.