Visit U.S. SiteNew Astroscale Funding Round Extension Contributes to Expanded Global Presence and Strengthened Leadership Team
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April 10, 2019 – Astroscale Holdings Inc. (“Astroscale”), the market-leader in developing a space debris removal service to secure long-term orbital sustainability, today announced the opening of a new office in Denver, Colorado (“Astroscale U.S.”), adding a strategic United States base to already established entities in Singapore, Japan and the United Kingdom. In concert with the expansion of its global presence, Astroscale has solidified its leadership team and secured an additional US $30 million in an extension of its Series D investment round. The funding extension round brings the total Series D amount to US $80 million and total capital raised to US $140 million.
“This is an exciting time for Astroscale and marks a significant milestone for the company, its employees and future customers who will all benefit from the opportunities this expansion presents,” said Nobu Okada, Founder and CEO. “The United States has been active in addressing issues related to space traffic management and the mitigation of orbital debris. An office in the United States will allow us to work closely with policy makers and business leaders to devise a sustainable solution for this global issue.”
Astroscale U.S., which will focus on business development and technology growth, will be led by Ron Lopez as Managing Director. Lopez joins Astroscale with over 25 years of government and industry experience in the aerospace sector, including at the United States Air Force and The Boeing Company. Most recently, Lopez led the Defense & Space Asia Pacific sales team at Honeywell Aerospace, helping the company achieve significant sales growth and expansion into new markets.
“Astroscale U.S. will be an active part of Colorado’s vibrant space economy,” said Lopez. “We are eager to work within this diverse and growing ecosystem to fuel Astroscale’s global growth and contribute to the success of the region.”
The global management team is rounded out by Chris Blackerby, Group Chief Operating Officer, Ai Makino, Chief Financial and Administrative Officer, and John Auburn, Chief Commercial Officer, all of whom have been with Astroscale for several years. Blackerby served at NASA for nearly fifteen years, holding several positions including as the NASA Attaché for Asia, and has a deep understanding of U.S.-Japan relations, international cooperation, strategy and policy. Makino brings experience leading financial and personnel teams at several global start-ups. Auburn is an expert in the aerospace sector, well-known for his years of leadership experience and comprehensive commercial understanding of the European space industry.
Overall, Astroscale’s management team brings decades of experience in the technical, business, policy and fundraising aspects of the aerospace industry. The strong leadership of the global Astroscale team, coupled with several substantive funding rounds, positions the company for long-term, sustainable success.
Investors in Astroscale Series D Extension Round
- INCJ, Ltd.
- Japan Co-Invest II Limited Partnership (Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Investment Co., Ltd.)
- Space aSTART 1 Limited Partnership (aSTART Co., Ltd.)
- Innovation Platform 1 Investment Limited Partnership (UTokyo Innovation Platform Co., Ltd.)
- Joe Hirao
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English press release is available here.
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