ElevationSpace

ElevationSpace is a private Japanese company developing satellites that can conduct various experiments in orbit, and then bring its payload back to Earth inside a space capsule. ElevationSpace is a spin-off company of Tohoku University, and is headquartered in Sendai, Miyagi.
The company's first satellite is named Aoba after Mount Aoba in Sendai. On 3 March 2025, ElevationSpace announced that they had signed an agreement with Isar Aerospace to launch Aoba on a Spectrum rocket.

History

ElevationSpace was founded by Ryohei Kobayashi in 2021. In 2023, ElevationSpace and Tohoku University tested a hybrid-propellant thruster that will be used on the Aoba satellite.
On 29 July 2025, the company revealed plans to develop a crewed spacecraft by the 2040s.

ELS-R

ELS-R is a free flying satellite carrying a space capsule, being developed by ElevationSpace. The first ELS-R is nicknamed Aoba, and will be launched on Isar Aerospace's Spectrum rocket from Andøya in Norway. Several experiments are planned to be carried on board Aoba, including a growth experiment of Euglena.