iQPS
| Industry | Satellite imagery |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2005 in Fukuoka, Japan |
| Founders | Tetsuo Yasaka Noboru Sakurai Kunihiro Funakoshi |
| Fate | Active |
| Headquarters | Fukuoka , Japan |
| Products | satellite images |
| Website | i-qps |
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
[edit | edit source]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
[edit | edit source]| 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-14 | Yachihoko-I | 5 November 2025 | Electron | Mahia | Operational |
See also
[edit | edit source]References
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