Mitsubishi Electric Corporation announced that it was awarded a contract by the Japan Ministry of Defense on February 6 to construct a next-generation defense satellite communications system. Under this contract, Mitsubishi Electric will develop and manufacture the next-generation defense communications satellite, which will succeed the current Kirameki-2 satellite, as well as design the ground system necessary for communicating with the satellite. Through these efforts, the company will establish a defense-communication infrastructure to support operations of the Japan Ministry of Defense and the Japan Self-Defense Forces.
The Ministry of Defense’s Outline of Space Domain Defense Guidelines, issued in July 2025, identifies ensuring SATCOM* as an operational foundation and key approach to strengthening defense capabilities in the space domain. In line with these guidelines, the new contract covers the development and manufacture of a next-generation defense communications satellite that will be newly deployed in geostationary orbit. The new satellite will replace the Kirameki-2, an X-band defense communications satellite currently operated by the Japan Ministry of Defense and Self-Defense Forces. The contract also covers designing a ground system to support the new satellite.
To develop and manufacture a satellite with higher resistance to interference and a larger communication capacity than the existing X-band defense communications satellite, Mitsubishi Electric will leverage cutting-edge geostationary communications satellite technologies that it has cultivated in developing defense equipment for the Japan Ministry of Defense and Self-Defense Forces and satellites for domestic and international customers.
The satellite will feature a digital communications payload capable of flexibly altering its beam coverage areas and communications capacity during operation, enabling a flexible response to the Japan Ministry of Defense’s and the Self-Defense Forces’ growing communications needs. The ground system will be designed to ensure safe and stable communications.
Mitsubishi Electric is committed to strengthening Japan’s national security and defense industry base by leveraging technology for more robust deterrence.
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