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 |
|
| Project Duration | From contract signing until March 31, 2031 (approximately 5 years) |
| Successful Bidders |
|
Mitsui’s Materiality
“Build brighter futures, everywhere” as our corporate mission, and to gain the trust and expectations of our stakeholders to realize a better tomorrow for earth and for people around the world, we have identified six material issues (“Materiality”) for Mitsui’s sustainable growth. We anticipate this particular project/ business to contribute especially to the realization of “Foster a well-being society”
-
Establish a foundation for sustainable and stable supply
-
Create a community coexisting with nature
-
Foster a well-being society
-
Cultivate societies that respect human rights
-
Empower our people to build brighter futures
-
Build an organization with integrity