IQPS

iQPS
IndustrySatellite imagery
Founded2005 in Fukuoka, Japan
FoundersTetsuo Yasaka
Noboru Sakurai
Kunihiro Funakoshi
FateActive
Headquarters
Fukuoka
,
Japan
Productssatellite images
Websitei-qps.net

iQPS (Institute for Q-shu Pioneers of Space, Inc.) is a Japanese satellite manufacturer and operator. The company was founded as a spin-off company of Kyushu University in 2005.[1] As of September 2025, the company operated seven Earth observation satellites, each equipped with a synthetic-aperture radar (SAR).[2]

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.[3]

The company's first SAR satellite, IZANAGI was successfully launched by a PSLV rocket in 2019.[4]

List of satellites

Satellite List[5][6]
Name Nickname Launch Date Launch Vehicle Site Status
QSAT-EOS Tsukushi 6 November 2014 Dnepr Dombarovsky Success
QPS-SAR-1 Izanagi 11 December 2019 PSLV-QL Satish Dhawan Success
QPS-SAR-2 Izanami 24 January 2022 Falcon 9 Block 5 Cape Canaveral Success
QPS-SAR-3 Amateru-I 12 October 2022 Epsilon Uchinora Launch failure
QPS-SAR-4 Amateru-II 12 October 2022 Epsilon Uchinora Launch failure
QPS-SAR-5 Tsukuyomi-I 15 December 2023 Electron Mahia Operational
QPS-SAR-6 Amateru-III 12 June 2023 Falcon 9 Block 5 Vandenberg Success
QPS-SAR-7 Tsukuyomi-II 7 April 2024 Falcon 9 Block 5 Kennedy Operational
QPS-SAR-8 Amateru-IV 16 August 2024 Falcon 9 Block 5 Vandenberg Operational
QPS-SAR-9 Susanoo-I 15 March 2025 Electron Mahia Operational
QPS-SAR-10 Wadatsumi-I 17 May 2025 Electron Mahia Operational
QPS-SAR-11 Yamatsumi-I 11 June 2025 Electron Mahia Operational
QPS-SAR-12 Kushinada-I 5 August 2025 Electron Mahia Operational
QPS-SAR-13 Mikura-I NET May 2026[7] Electron Mahia Planned
QPS-SAR-14 Yachihoko-I 5 November 2025 Electron Mahia Operational
QPS-SAR-15 Sukunami-I 21 December 2025 Electron Mahia Operational

See also

References

  1. ^ "福岡の"リアル下町ロケット"！宇宙ベンチャー企業「ＱＰＳ研究所」". RKB Online (in Japanese). June 28, 2022. Archived from the original on 2022-12-22. Retrieved 2023-12-15.
  2. ^ "各衛星の稼働状況について" (PDF) (in Japanese). iQPS. September 4, 2025. Retrieved 2025-11-05.
  3. ^ "九州から宇宙へ！ 衛星開発ベンチャー「QPS研究所」の師弟の夢". FUKUOKA leap up (in Japanese). June 18, 2020. Archived from the original on 2023-03-21. Retrieved 2023-12-15.
  4. ^ Werner, Debra (September 30, 2020). "Japan's iQPS to update technology for future radar satellites". SpaceNews. Archived from the original on 2023-12-15. Retrieved 2023-12-15.
  5. ^ "QPS-SAR 1, 2 (Izanagi, Izanami)". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 2025-10-16.
  6. ^ "QPS-SAR 3, ..., 19 (Amateru 1, ..., 4, Tsukuyomi 1, 2, Susanoo 1)". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 2025-10-16.
  7. ^ ""The Grain Goddess Provides": Rocket Lab's Electron to Launch QPS-SAR-13 No Earlier Than May 2026" (Press release). iQPS. April 10, 2026. Retrieved April 11, 2026.

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