IQPS


iQPS is a Japanese satellite manufacturer and operator. The company was founded as a spin-off company of Kyushu University in 2005. As of September 2025, the company operated seven Earth observation satellites, each equipped with a synthetic-aperture radar.

History

iQPS was founded by Tetsuo Yasaka, Noboru Sakurai and Kunihiro Funakoshi in 2005 to promote the space industry in Kyushu. By 2013, with its members aging, the trio were considering to close the company when Shunsuke Onishi, then a graduate student studying at Kyushu University approached them intending to join iQPS. Onishi was hired on two conditions: that he become the company's CEO, and that he come up with a viable business plan. Onishi's idea was to build small SAR satellites and conduct real time observation of Earth.
The company's first SAR satellite, IZANAGI was successfully launched by a Polar [Satellite Launch Vehicle|PSLV] rocket in 2019.

List of satellites

NameNicknameLaunch DateLaunch VehicleSiteStatus
QSAT-EOSTsukushi6 November 2014DneprDombarovsky
QPS-SAR-1Izanagi11 December 2019PSLV-QLSatish Dhawan
QPS-SAR-2Izanami24 January 2022Falcon 9 Block 5Cape Canaveral [Space Force Station|Cape Canaveral]
QPS-SAR-3Amateru-I12 October 2022EpsilonUchinora
QPS-SAR-4Amateru-II12 October 2022EpsilonUchinora
QPS-SAR-5Tsukuyomi-I15 December 2023ElectronMahia
QPS-SAR-6Amateru-III12 June 2023Falcon 9 Block 5Vandenberg
QPS-SAR-7Tsukuyomi-II7 April 2024Falcon 9 Block 5Kennedy
QPS-SAR-8Amateru-IV16 August 2024Falcon 9 Block 5Vandenberg
QPS-SAR-9Susanoo-I15 March 2025ElectronMahia
QPS-SAR-10Wadatsumi-I17 May 2025ElectronMahia
QPS-SAR-11Yamatsumi-I11 June 2025ElectronMahia
QPS-SAR-12Kushinada-I5 August 2025ElectronMahia
QPS-SAR-14Yachihoko-I5 November 2025ElectronMahia
QPS-SAR-15Sukunami-I21 December 2025ElectronMahia