What do you think of when you look up at the star-filled night sky?

More than half a century has passed since humanity opened the door to space. Today, even space travel is no longer a pipe dream, with about 2,500 satellites launched annually and the space business booming.

JINSEI Inc., founded in Nagoya in 2021, is developing a "satellite to photograph satellites." They will offer a service to inspect target satellites for abnormalities by capturing images of their exteriors with a small satellite. Once completed, it will be one of the few such systems in the world.

How did CEO Koichi Tani, who claims to have had little interest in space, start a business with his sights set on the cosmos? We focused on the challenge undertaken by Mr. Tani, who is developing a business that will "make waves" in the increasingly familiar space environment.

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What first sparked your interest in the space-related business?

Tani: When I moved from my university's Department of Electrical, Electronic, and Information Engineering to my first year of graduate school, I was told that the semiconductor lab I belonged to had received a proposal for joint research from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. They wanted us to create a semiconductor chip to be integrated into a satellite. Specifically, it was to create a device that uses semiconductors to detect infrared, an invisible light. Being assigned to that research was my first contact with space. Before that, I'd look at the sky, not just space, and think, "It's beautiful," but I never imagined I'd be involved in space development.

So, that connection led you to join Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, where you continued to be involved in satellite-related research and development?

Tani: Although I was involved with satellites, someone else ended up working on the semiconductor chips, and I was in charge of quality assurance. For about six or seven years after joining the company, my job was to check if the completed software was designed and operating correctly.
It was a frustrating time because I couldn't get involved in the work of creating something myself. I would see in the news online that people five or ten years younger than me in Silicon Valley were starting companies one after another and launching new services, which made me want to try something like that myself. But as long as I was in my department at the time, it was impossible. So after much deliberation, I quit the company at the age of 34.

After leaving your job, what led you to start your own business?

Tani: After participating for about a year in a "Nagoya University-born venture" I had been invited to while still employed, I started my first company in 2017. But at that time, I was trying to do something completely different from space. I acted on a whim, and I quickly felt "this isn't it" and closed it down. It's what you might call a "dark past." After that, I worked as a freelance web developer for three or four years, and during that time, I decided I wanted to start my own company again and give it another shot.
At that point, a mutual acquaintance introduced me to Masaki Arai, who would later become the co-founder of Jinsei. He was also a Mitsubishi Heavy Industries alumnus, and we were slightly acquainted. This was a little before the COVID-19 pandemic, and from then on, we started talking about whether we could do something together.

What was the deciding factor in taking on the space business for your second startup?

Tani: I can do programming, and Arai can design electronic circuits. We thought about what field would be best to apply these skills. Choosing space as our theme wasn't for any grand reason; it was more a process of elimination. We went around to bookstores, consulted various books, and considered numerous fields like logistics, medicine, welfare, and finance. What remained was space.
Also, a video I happened to see on TV about a startup company gave me a hint. A team is formed to tackle a technical challenge, and everyone works together to create one thing. Building it is tough, but it's "deep tech," and if completed, it can have a tremendous impact on society. We thought that if we could be that kind of company, we would be satisfied, so we chose the space business domain.

A Question from His Corporate Days Became the Genesis of Development

How did the idea for a "satellite that photographs other satellites" come about?

Tani: When I was at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, there was an incident where a satellite was damaged in orbit just one month after launch. I was involved in that project, so I was extremely anxious, wondering "What on earth happened?" and "How long is this going to take?" It took two months for the report to be released.
The telemetry data sent from the satellite only tells you about the internal condition of the satellite. In terms of a human health check-up, it's like only having a blood test; you can't visually confirm the external condition, like if an arm is broken.
That's when I came up with the idea that if we developed a "satellite for inspecting satellites" — in other words, a "satellite that photographs the exterior of other satellites" — it would be incredibly useful.

Have there been no such satellites before, either domestically or internationally?

Tani: That's right. There are companies overseas trying to do similar things, but they don't build the satellite body themselves; they seem to be having their cameras ride-share on other companies' satellites. So, if our company succeeds in developing, manufacturing, and operating a satellite specifically for photography, I believe it will be a rare case in the world.

What is the current environment in space like?

Tani: Until about a decade ago, the number of satellites itself wasn't very large, so the number of problems was also small. That changed around 2020 when SpaceX started launching Starlink (small satellites for satellite internet access services), and the number has been increasing rapidly ever since. Now, about 2,500 satellites are launched annually, with 20,000 to 30,000 satellites orbiting the Earth. Along with this, I think we are entering a period where the demand for satellite inspection services will also increase.

Does that mean other companies or research institutions might follow suit?

Tani: I can't say the possibility is zero. However, I believe that the technology to photograph the exterior of a satellite requires considerable know-how. Satellites are constantly moving at incredible speeds. Basically, 7.5 km per second, the same speed as a bullet. On top of that, you have the question of when the two satellites—the one taking the picture and the one being photographed—will pass each other. And whether you can capture that moment without missing it. It requires technology for that, so I don't think it can be easily imitated.

A 10cm-Cube Small Satellite Will Be the First Step to Changing Space

What motivated you to apply for the ICT Startup League?

Tani: The biggest factor was being able to receive support for research and development costs. Jinsei was established as a limited liability company in 2021, but we only began full-scale work on the satellite business last August. We had been proceeding with development using our own funds for the time being, but we ran into financial difficulties after building the first prototype up to a certain stage. We wanted to purchase two sets of specialized equipment that cost about 500,000 yen per set, and the specialized software also cost about 500,000 yen. We also needed to cover personnel costs for programming staff, and even maintaining the office was becoming difficult. We were selected at a really critical time. Thanks to that, we've been able to continue development.

Besides financial support for development, what else are you hoping for?

Tani: I have high hopes for building new connections. Satellite development is a collection of various technologies, and it's a field you can't succeed in without building relationships with engineers from many different areas. However, in Nagoya, where our company is based, there are few companies or institutions researching satellites, so we had no choice but to start from scratch on our own.
From now on, through this league, I hope to connect with communications engineers, people who specialize in designing camera lenses, programmers for the software that operates the satellite, and colleagues who can design structures that can withstand the vibrations of a rocket.

What will be possible once this satellite is completed?

Tani: First, it will allow for rapid troubleshooting. If a problem occurs on the exterior of a satellite, until now we had to speculate on the cause from telemetry data. That will no longer be necessary. A single image will clearly show the external damage at a glance. For example, if a panel is broken and the telemetry data shows a power drop, you can immediately decide on the satellite's future operation, such as how much longer it can operate or if it's a lost cause.

Besides its use as an inspection service, are there any other potential applications?

Tani: I believe it could also indirectly contribute to tackling the pressing issue of space debris. Satellites and rocket bodies that have completed their missions, or fragments scattered due to malfunctions, continue to float in orbit, becoming space junk. There are currently several companies in the world that collect space debris, so our service could be used for information gathering before collection, or it could be an aid in efforts to reduce or prevent junk in the first place.
Furthermore, I believe it could be useful for taking commemorative photos for the growing number of private space travelers, or in the unfortunate event of an accident. I hope it will become an inspection infrastructure for the era when many people go to space.

Please tell us about your medium- to long-term vision.

Tani: We are scheduled to complete a prototype during fiscal year 2026 and finish the first unit around the fall of 2027. This first unit will be a small, 10cm-cube palm-sized satellite for data collection purposes. The second unit and beyond will be the operational model, which will be taller with a larger lens attached, and we plan to use it to launch our inspection service.
Over the next six to ten years, we plan to mass-produce the operational units, build a platform that can watch over satellites around the world in a timely manner, and not only expand our inspection service but also branch out into various other businesses in space.