TAMPA, Fla. — California’s GITAI said Jan. 27 the robotics specialist has successfully demonstrated its first in-house developed satellite, a precursor to larger and more capable spacecraft for servicing and construction in space.
The company said the 20-kilogram, 16U-sized satellite passed all testing goals after launching on a SpaceX rideshare mission to low Earth orbit in December, including capturing and transmitting image and video data.
Sho Nakanose, GITAI’s founder and CEO, said the company is expanding its product range with 50-kilogram and 200-kilogram satellite platforms to meet increasing demand for constellations.
The new business line is a stepping stone toward a 500-kilogram spacecraft equipped with a robotic arm. GITAI plans to use this spacecraft for a rendezvous and docking demonstration in 2026, delayed from 2025, as part of its ambitions to become a prime contractor for in-orbit services, including lunar infrastructure construction.
The performance of GITAI’s spacecraft is not significantly different from others on the market, according to Nakanose, but the company aims to differentiate itself by doubling down on vertical integration to reduce prices and accelerate production times.
“Many companies that develop satellites, including startups that claim to develop in-house, procure most of their components from suppliers,” he said via email.
“And due to the current large-scale orders for satellite constellations for mainly defense and space applications, there is a shortage of some satellite components (such as electric propulsion), and even satellite bus component startups that claim to deliver quickly are actually seeing their lead times increase to several years.”
Nakanose said GITAI produced around 60% of its recently deployed 20-kilogram satellite in-house, including all avionics and attitude control software, but not the spacecraft’s chemical propulsion.
“We plan to complete in-house development of all components necessary for satellite development, including electric propulsion and chemical propulsion, by the end of this year,” he said.
GITAI does not plan to develop any sensors in-house or mission equipment such as high-resolution cameras.
Still, Nakanose said developing most parts in-house means that its recently demonstrated 20-kilogram satellite bus could be manufactured and sold for $1 million with a lead time of six months.
He said GITAI is in talks with “several private space companies about specific missions” for satellites ranging from 20 kilograms to 200 kilograms, but declined to give details.
