Japanese space tech startup Letara expands beyond satellite thrusters with $16M
Japanese space tech startup Letara expands beyond satellite thrusters with $16M
日本太空科技初创公司 Letara 融资 1600 万美元，业务从卫星推进器扩展至大型火箭
Japan is pouring billions of dollars into its burgeoning space industry and easing restrictions on defense exports, efforts designed to build a homegrown aerospace sector filled with domestic startups that have a global reach. Letara, a Sapporo-based startup developing hybrid propulsion systems for spacecraft, is looking to capitalize on that push. 日本正投入数十亿美元发展其新兴的太空产业，并放宽了国防出口限制，旨在打造一个拥有全球影响力的本土航空航天产业，并培育出一批国内初创企业。总部位于札幌的初创公司 Letara 正在开发用于航天器的混合动力推进系统，该公司正寻求利用这一政策红利。
After focusing on hybrid thrusters for small satellites, the company now plans to develop large rocket systems for the space, defense, and security markets, company’s co-CEO Shota Hirai told TechCrunch. That expansion is being fueled by ¥2.6 billion (~$16 million) in new funding that comes as the startup tries to turn years of academic research and demonstrations into a commercial business. 该公司联席首席执行官平井翔太（Shota Hirai）告诉 TechCrunch，在专注于小型卫星的混合动力推进器之后，公司现在计划为太空、国防和安全市场开发大型火箭系统。此次业务扩张得益于 26 亿日元（约合 1600 万美元）的新融资，这笔资金将助力这家初创公司将多年的学术研究和演示转化为商业业务。
The round was co-led by Headline Asia, JIC Venture Growth Investment and Incubate Fund with participation from strategic investors including NES (Networked Energy Services) Corporation, an energy company; Toyoda Gosei, a Toyota Group supplier of rubber and plastic automotive components; and Frontier Innovations, an investment fund managed by Frontier Innovations and backed by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Japan’s space agency. 本轮融资由 Headline Asia、JIC Venture Growth Investment 和 Incubate Fund 共同领投，战略投资者参与跟投，包括能源公司 NES (Networked Energy Services) Corporation；丰田集团旗下橡胶和塑料汽车零部件供应商丰田合成（Toyoda Gosei）；以及由 Frontier Innovations 管理并获得日本宇宙航空研究开发机构（JAXA）支持的投资基金 Frontier Innovations。
“With this round, we will go beyond demonstrating that thruster in space,” Hirai said. “We plan to explore a much wider set of use cases across both the space domain and the defense and security domain, and to develop and propose hybrid rocket systems suited to each of them.” “通过这一轮融资，我们将不仅仅局限于在太空中演示推进器，”平井说。“我们计划在太空领域以及国防和安全领域探索更广泛的用例，并开发和提出适合这些领域的混合动力火箭系统。”
At the heart of Letara’s technology is a hybrid rocket design that keeps its solid fuel separate from the liquid oxidizer needed for combustion. Inexpensive, widely available materials such as plastic and rubber are used as solid fuel. The company has developed a proprietary manufacturing process that mixes, shapes, and compresses these materials to ensure they ignite reliably and burn consistently. Letara 技术的核心是一种混合火箭设计，它将固体燃料与燃烧所需的液体氧化剂分离开来。塑料和橡胶等廉价且易于获取的材料被用作固体燃料。该公司开发了一种专有的制造工艺，通过混合、塑形和压缩这些材料，确保它们能够可靠地点火并稳定燃烧。
The end result is a system that can deliver more thrust with less waste than traditional hybrid rockets that often use expensive paraffin wax. The aim is to solve three problems that have so far, limited the use of hybrid propulsion: generating sufficient thrust, maintaining performance and controlling combustion, Hirai said. 最终，该系统能够以比通常使用昂贵石蜡的传统混合火箭更少的浪费产生更大的推力。平井表示，其目标是解决迄今为止限制混合动力推进使用的三个问题：产生足够的推力、保持性能以及控制燃烧。
There is considerable opportunity if Letara is successful. The global hybrid rocket propulsion market is projected to expand to $2.6 billion by 2032, up from $848 million in 2024, at a CAGR of 15% — a trajectory that points to growing demand for the technology. 如果 Letara 能够成功，市场机遇将非常巨大。全球混合火箭推进市场预计将从 2024 年的 8.48 亿美元增长到 2032 年的 26 亿美元，复合年增长率为 15%——这一轨迹表明对该技术的需求正在不断增长。
Still, Letara isn’t alone in its pursuit. A number of companies are developing hybrid rocket technology, including Japan’s Interstellar Technologies, China’s Galactic Energy, South Korea’s InnoSpace, and Singapore’s Equatorial Space are advancing hybrid rocket technology. German startup HyImpulse and Australian Gilmour Space are also pursuing hybrid rocket technology, while other U.S. companies are developing competing propulsion and launch systems. 尽管如此，Letara 并非孤军奋战。许多公司正在开发混合火箭技术，包括日本的 Interstellar Technologies、中国的星河动力（Galactic Energy）、韩国的 InnoSpace 和新加坡的 Equatorial Space。德国初创公司 HyImpulse 和澳大利亚的 Gilmour Space 也在研发混合火箭技术，同时还有其他美国公司正在开发竞争性的推进和发射系统。
Academic roots
学术渊源
The idea for Letara emerged while co-CEOs Landon Thomas Kamps and Hirai were researching rocket propulsion at Hokkaido University. They believed the relative safety and simplicity of hybrid rockets could make the technology useful beyond traditional space programs, particularly as private companies expand into the industry. Letara 的构想源于联席首席执行官 Landon Thomas Kamps 和平井在北海道大学研究火箭推进技术期间。他们认为，混合火箭的相对安全性和简单性可以使该技术在传统太空计划之外发挥作用，特别是在私营企业向该行业扩张之际。
The company’s ambitions have grown along with the market. When Letara was spun out of Hokkaido University in 2020, it was focused on developing satellite thrusters. Since then, the global propulsion market has become more crowded as demand for launch and defense capabilities has grown. Letara is now pursuing opportunities in defense contracts and launch services, in an effort to position itself to compete not just with other Japanese startups, but with companies around the world. 随着市场的发展，该公司的雄心也在增长。当 Letara 于 2020 年从北海道大学剥离出来时，它专注于开发卫星推进器。自那时起，随着对发射和国防能力需求的增长，全球推进市场变得更加拥挤。Letara 现在正在寻求国防合同和发射服务方面的机会，旨在将自己定位为不仅能与日本其他初创公司竞争，还能与全球企业竞争的参与者。
“Large spacecraft need high thrust propulsion as well, especially when they need to go from LEO (low earth orbit) to GEO (geostationary orbit) and get through the high radiation Van Allen belt quickly,” said Hirai. “And of course, there is insane growing demand for launch vehicles.” “大型航天器也需要高推力推进，特别是当它们需要从低地球轨道（LEO）进入地球静止轨道（GEO）并快速穿过高辐射的范艾伦辐射带时，”平井说。“当然，对运载火箭的需求也在疯狂增长。”
Letara is targeting satellite makers and operators, launch companies and governments. It sees commercial satellites as its biggest market for in-space propulsion, while government demand for rocket systems is growing, particularly in Japan. The company says it has already won orders from rocket and satellite companies as well as the Japanese government, although it did not disclose the value of those contracts. Letara 的目标客户包括卫星制造商和运营商、发射公司以及政府。它将商业卫星视为其太空推进技术的最大市场，同时政府对火箭系统的需求也在增长，尤其是在日本。该公司表示，已经获得了来自火箭和卫星公司以及日本政府的订单，但未披露这些合同的金额。
Its next major milestone is an in-orbit firing test with an overseas partner, which Letara sees as a key step toward commercialization. It will also need to establish a repeatable manufacturing process, backed by quality controls, and a reliable supply chain for fuel and tanks that can support production at scale. 其下一个重要里程碑是与海外合作伙伴进行在轨点火测试，Letara 将其视为迈向商业化的关键一步。它还需要建立一个可重复的制造工艺，辅以质量控制，并建立一个能够支持规模化生产的燃料和储罐可靠供应链。
When asked whether recycled plastic could eventually be used as fuel, Letara said it was “very much a possibility” with its hybrid technology, though more testing and development would be needed. 当被问及回收塑料最终是否可以用作燃料时，Letara 表示，利用其混合动力技术，“这很有可能”，尽管还需要更多的测试和开发。