D-Orbit, a space logistics and transportation company, has announced that it has signed a launch services contract with ArkEdge Space, a Japanese satellite systems integrator of micro-satellite systems, to deliver a series of launches aboard D-Orbit's ION Satellite Carrier. 

Under the agreement, D-Orbit will provide its ION launch service across multiple missions, integrating ArkEdge Space's satellites onboard ION and deploying them into sun-synchronous orbit on launches scheduled between 2027 and 2028. The contract builds on ION's flight heritage, 23 successful missions to date, and its capability as a space vehicle that transports satellites in orbit and releases them individually into distinct orbital slots, designed to reduce the time from launch to operations and the overall cost of accessing space. 

ArkEdge Space is a Japanese space technology company offering end-to-end solutions for micro-satellite constellations from planning and design to mass production and operations. Guided by its stated objective, the company is developing technologies in Earth observation, maritime satellite communications (VDES), optical communications, and low-Earth-orbit satellite positioning, as well as lunar activities and deep-space exploration. Through its activities, ArkEdge Space is engaged in the development and application of space technologies. Building on its on-orbit demonstrations of VDES technologies and RF sensing for maritime applications, ArkEdge Space is developing integrated satellite solutions to support maritime connectivity, situational awareness and data-driven digital transformation across the maritime sector. 

For ArkEdge Space, the agreement provides access to launch services for the constellation programs, with ION's ability to release satellites individually into distinct orbital slots intended for constellation deployment. For D-Orbit, working with a Japanese satellite developer anchors ION as a logistics backbone for the country's small-satellite sector and supports the company's regional strategy. Together, the two companies pair Japanese capabilities in satellite design and mass production with European experience in in-orbit logistics, a combination that is intended to support the supply chain for getting small satellites to orbit quickly and cost-effectively across Japan and the wider APAC region. The agreement is among the contracts D-Orbit has signed and represents a development in the company's strategy for Japan, a market D-Orbit considers strategically important and for the wider APAC area, where the company is expanding its presence. 

"This contract is an important milestone in D-Orbit's journey in Japan, a market we see as strategically vital to our growth," said Matteo Andreas Lorenzoni, Director of the Orbital Access Business Unit at D-Orbit. "It reflects the trust that Japanese space companies are placing in our services and the strength of our partnership with Marubeni, whose support has been instrumental in opening doors across the region. Japan is the foundation of a wider ambition: to become a reliable logistics partner for the space sector across Asia." 

Central to this expansion is Marubeni Corporation, which played a key role in bringing the contract together. Marubeni acts as a commercial agent for D-Orbit in the region and is also one of the company's principal investors. That dual relationship, combining commercial reach with a long-term investment in D-Orbit's growth, makes Marubeni a key part of the company's ambitions throughout the region. 

"Marubeni has long believed in D-Orbit's vision for space logistics, and this contract shows what that conviction can deliver," said Ash Takao, Sales Development Manager at D-Orbit and General Manager of the Space Division at Marubeni Corporation. "As both an investor in D-Orbit and its distribution partner across Japan and Southeast Asia, our role is to connect the region's most ambitious space companies with world-class capabilities. Bringing ArkEdge Space and D-Orbit together is exactly the kind of partnership we want to enable, and a clear step toward building a stronger space ecosystem across Japan and the wider APAC region." 

The signing comes as D-Orbit deepens its engagement with Japan's growing space sector, building on a series of agreements that are supporting the company's objective of becoming a logistics partner for the country's satellite operators and technology developers.

Click here to learn more about D-Orbit's ION Satellite Carrier