Japan · Relay & edge infrastructure
This project focuses on combining space-based data relay with edge computing.
Space Compass, the NTT / SKY Perfect JSAT venture, is developing optical relay and edge-computing infrastructure. It has reported orbital AI experiments and contracted its first SWISSto12 GEO relay spacecraft; a commissioned GEO service is not established.
NTT / SKY Perfect JSAT · In development
Scope: Shared computing & storage · Multi-operator optical relay and edge-computing infrastructure. A spacecraft procurement is not an operating computing service.
Full technical comparison, configurations and availability →
View all project relationship records →
One procured spacecraft is described; launch and commercial commissioning remain unverified.
As of
Primary source ↗Figures retain their disclosed units and scope. Launched hardware does not establish demonstrated performance; targets may change. Not disclosed means no figure in the reviewed sources.
Research participant
Program organization: Space Compass
PartnershipOptical communications and EO-service integration study.
Signed exploratory MoU; technical evaluation and future agreements are required.
Announced 28 Apr 2026 · Evidence checked 26 Sept 2026
Space Compass and Airbus sign exploratory optical MoU (opens in a new tab)Research participant
Program organization: Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)
Research selectionSelection for multi-orbit network monitoring and control R&D under the Space Strategy Fund.
Research-grant selection, not commercial procurement. Maximum USD 149,443,306 (JPY23.5 billion) through about March 2031 is conditional on stage gates; no contract value is entered.
Announced 22 Apr 2026 · Evidence checked 26 Sept 2026
JAXA Space Strategy Fund selection (opens in a new tab)Research participant
Program organization: Space Compass
PartnershipLEO-GEO optical data-relay feasibility study.
Nonbinding three-party MoU with JSAT International; no capacity reservation.
Announced 13 Apr 2026 · Evidence checked 26 Sept 2026
Apolink, Space Compass and JSAT International sign MoU (opens in a new tab)Strategic partner
Program organization: Space Compass
PartnershipCommercial and technical collaboration on multi-orbit optical relay.
Same three-party nonbinding MoU as Apolink; not an additional independent procurement.
Announced 13 Apr 2026 · Evidence checked 26 Sept 2026
Apolink, Space Compass and JSAT International sign MoU (opens in a new tab)First GEO optical relay satellite using the HummingSat platform.
No price or launch date disclosed. This is a spacecraft procurement, not proof of orbital deployment.
Announced 23 Mar 2026 · Evidence checked 26 Sept 2026
Executed procurement for first GEO optical relay satellite (opens in a new tab)Research participant
Program organization: Space Compass
PartnershipStudy of optical interconnectivity with Hellas Sat 5.
MoU for technical and commercial cooperation; no delivered connection is established.
Announced 11 Dec 2025 · Evidence checked 26 Sept 2026
Space Compass and Hellas Sat sign optical interoperability MoU (opens in a new tab)GEO optical communication technology demonstration for space-domain-awareness data.
Japan MOD is the customer and Space Compass the recipient; value is undisclosed.
Announced 24 Apr 2025 · Evidence checked 26 Sept 2026
Japan MOD GEO optical communication demonstration award (opens in a new tab)Research participant
Program organization: Space Compass
PartnershipAzure Orbital Space SDK coengineering for in-orbit ship detection.
Completed experiments are reported; no paid order, general compression guarantee or commercial service level is disclosed.
Announced 14 Apr 2025 · Evidence checked 26 Sept 2026
Microsoft collaboration and orbital AI results (opens in a new tab)Research participant
Program organization: Space Compass
PartnershipLAIDEN-HydRON optical interoperability feasibility and test planning.
Memorandum of intent; no completed demonstration or paid procurement is inferred.
Announced 25 Mar 2025 · Evidence checked 26 Sept 2026
ESA and Space Compass sign LAIDEN-HydRON memorandum of intent (opens in a new tab)Research participant
Program organization: Space Compass
PartnershipFeasibility study for telecom and computing in a post-ISS Japanese module.
Mitsui leads the study; this partnership is not spacecraft procurement.
Announced 26 Sept 2023 · Evidence checked 26 Sept 2026
Space Compass participates in Mitsui post-ISS module study (opens in a new tab)Research participant
Program organization: Space Compass
PartnershipEvaluation of SkyCompass-1 optical relay for SAR data.
Prospective-user study; no capacity booking or customer contract is disclosed.
Announced 5 Jul 2023 · Evidence checked 26 Sept 2026
iQPS studies SkyCompass-1 data-relay use (opens in a new tab)Strategic partner
Program organization: Space Compass
PartnershipCapital/business alliance and basic agreement for optical data-relay use.
Financial allocation and service quantity undisclosed; historical service targets do not prove deployment.
Announced 5 Apr 2023 · Evidence checked 26 Sept 2026
Space Compass and Axelspace enter capital and business alliance (opens in a new tab)Research participant
Program organization: New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO)
Research selectionLead and project manager for optical-network and space-edge-computing R&D.
Government research selection; no funded amount or purchase instrument is established.
Announced 28 Mar 2023 · Evidence checked 26 Sept 2026
NEDO optical network R&D selection (opens in a new tab)Research participant
Program organization: Space Compass
PartnershipDevelopment and demonstration testing of LEO microsatellite technologies, including space edge computing, for the NEDO-selected LAIDEN optical-network program.
Research consortium work allocation, distinct from the April 2023 capital/business alliance. No individual subcontract value, unit quantity, completed flight test or commercial service is established; demonstrations by 2029 are planned.
Announced 28 Mar 2023 · Evidence checked 14 Oct 2026
Space Compass selected to drive“Development and demonstration of inter-satellite optical communication network system Project" (opens in a new tab)Research participant
Program organization: Space Compass
PartnershipDevelopment of medium-size LEO satellite technologies for the NEDO-selected LAIDEN optical-network research program.
Officially allocated development and demonstration scope in the NEDO-selected LAIDEN consortium. Specific subcontract, price, unit quantity and achieved flight outcomes remain undisclosed; planned tests by 2029 are not completed results.
Announced 28 Mar 2023 · Evidence checked 26 Sept 2026
LAIDEN research consortium participation (opens in a new tab)Research participant
Program organization: Space Compass
PartnershipDevelopment and demonstration testing of satellite/ground interconnectivity and network-control technologies for the NEDO-selected LAIDEN optical network.
Officially allocated development and demonstration scope in the NEDO-selected LAIDEN consortium. Specific subcontract, price, unit quantity and achieved flight outcomes remain undisclosed; planned tests by 2029 are not completed results.
Announced 28 Mar 2023 · Evidence checked 26 Sept 2026
LAIDEN research consortium participation (opens in a new tab)SkyCompass-1 optical data-relay network partnership.
The former Q4 2024 launch target is historical. No completed launch or sold capacity is inferred.
Announced 31 Jan 2023 · Evidence checked 26 Sept 2026
Skyloom partnership finalized (opens in a new tab)Manual review 31 Oct 2026. Compared the orbital AI result with the GEO procurement. Added the conditional98.1percent data-volume reduction, demonstration campaign and software workflow. HummingSat LEO-GEO relay remains planned, with no disclosed flight compute hardware or commercial capacity. Primary body last observed 23 Oct, 09:46 UTC. Source monitoring: blocked. Source collection and substantive profile review are separate checks. Plans and dates may change.
Space Compass primary announcements (opens in a new tab)Verified announcements and milestones linked to this project, newest first.
Space Compass and Airbus signed a memorandum to explore integrating optical data relay with Airbus Earth-observation imagery and other connectivity applications.
Space Compass was selected for multi-orbit monitoring and control development, with a maximum JPY23.5 billion grant through approximately March 2031.
Space Compass, Apolink and JSAT International signed a non-binding memorandum to study technical and commercial feasibility for LEO–GEO optical relay interconnection.
Space Compass and SWISSto12 announced an executed procurement contract for a HummingSat-based GEO optical relay spacecraft.
The partners signed an MoU covering technical and commercial work toward optical connectivity between planned GEO systems.
Japan Ministry of Defense awarded Space Compass a demonstration using its GEO optical relay satellite for space-domain-awareness communications.
An Azure Orbital Space SDK application ran more than 40 times over three months on an EO satellite. The companies reported 98.1% less downlinked data under specified test conditions.
Space Compass and ESA signed a memorandum of intent to study and plan interoperability tests between Japan's LAIDEN network and ESA's HydRON optical demonstration system.
NTT outlines the combination of optical communications, computing and satellite assets.
On December 5, 2023, Space Compass announced joint development and demonstration work with Microsoft on space edge-computing applications. The companies described a co-engineering effort using Azure Orbital Space SDK, with ship detection as the first use case. The application was intended to run on computing resources aboard Loft Orbital’s YAM6 satellite, which the release then described as slated for launch in 2024, ahead of possible commercial use on Space Compass’s own satellites.
Space Compass joined Mitsui's feasibility study, evaluating optical communications and onboard data-center services for a post-ISS Japanese module.
iQPS and Space Compass announced a study of SkyCompass-1 relay use for SAR satellites.
Space Compass announced capital and business alliance agreements with Axelspace and a basic agreement on optical relay use.
NEDO selected Space Compass with NICT, Axelspace and NEC for network and space-edge-computing development and orbital demonstration work targeted by 2029.
The companies finalized a partnership for SkyCompass-1 and optical data relay services.
A signed term sheet outlined GEO optical relay and direct-to-cloud services. The original 2024 first-node and 2026 expansion dates were forward targets, not confirmed deployments; no procurement value was disclosed. The later finalized partnership remains a separate 2023 relationship record. Full Business Wire-origin release 20220906005414 is available through Via Ritzau; the original Space Compass archive remains inaccessible.
The September 6, 2022 announcement describes a signed term sheet for GEO optical relay, direct-to-cloud data transfer and in-orbit networking. Its first-node 2024 and global-coverage 2026 dates were prospective targets; the companies later announced a finalized partnership on January 31, 2023.
