Gitai Secures $15.5M for On-Orbit Servicing Expansion

Gitai's robotic arm S2 performing tasks on the exterior of the International Space Station (ISS). / Gitai

The space rocket startup "Gitai" is taking on the challenge of entering the on-orbit servicing market.

On November 13, Gitai announced in a statement that it had secured $15.5 million in new funding, which will be used to enter the on-orbit servicing market. Including this funding, the total investment raised by Gitai since its founding has reached $83 million.

It is reported that this investment was led by a venture capital firm owned by Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa.

Gitai, which makes robotic arms and rovers for space exploration, relocated its headquarters from Japan to the United States in 2023.

Sho Nakanose, founder and CEO of Gitai, said in an interview that the company sees growth opportunities in the on-orbit servicing market and is preparing missions in December 2024 and October 2025 to verify its capabilities for on-orbit services.

The mission scheduled for December this year will deploy a 20 kg small satellite, while the 2025 mission will involve a 500 kg satellite. Both satellites will be launched into space using SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket.

The second satellite will be equipped with Gitai's robotic arm, which will test technologies for proximity operations, docking, and life-extension services for objects separated from the satellite in orbit.

The actual on-orbit servicing missions for customers are expected to begin in 2026, according to CEO Nakanose.