Univ. in Japan, Tokyo-Based Startup to Develop Satellite for Disaster Prevention Measures, Bears

The Yomiuri Shimbun

20:00 JST, January 10, 2026

Yamagata University will develop and launch its own ultra-small satellite in partnership with a Tokyo-based startup , the university announced Thursday.

The university is currently developing a prototype of the satellite, named Benibana-Sat, and aims to put its first satellite into orbit within fiscal 2028.

The satellite will be mainly used to obtain clear images of the prefecture. If it becomes operational, it is expected to be utilized as part of measures for disaster prevention as well as against bears.

The university signed a contract with the startup Space BD Inc., which has previously worked with the Defense Ministry on a project regarding satellite launches.

Space BD will provide support through such means as making basic design of the satellite, while the university and local companies in the prefecture will develop the frame of the satellite and the software to operate it.

Benibana-Sat is an ultra-small satellite measuring 10 centimeters square and weighing about 1 kilogram. It will be transported to the International Space Station and put into a low orbit at an altitude of about 400 kilometers.

Benibana-Sat No. 1 will serve as an experimental satellite to verify attitude control, communication with ground stations and the operational status of its equipment in space for about six months.

Funds will be provided by donations from “Mori no gakkou” (forest school), a general incorporated foundation based in Yamagata City that supports the university’s research.

The university and local companies plan to complete a ground prototype by the middle of this year. After checking for defects through vibration and thermal testing, they will proceed to build a prototype that can be launched.

The university will utilize a closed school in the prefecture to set up a ground station to receive satellite data. A receiving antenna and control equipment will be installed at the ground station.

The satellite is expected to be completed sometime between the second half of 2027 and early 2028. After, they will apply to receive the Cabinet Office’s approval, undergo safety examinations by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and aim to launch the first satellite by March 2029.

The project will also make an effort to develop personnel. Space BD will provide programs for local engineers in the prefecture, teaching them about the development process and offer opportunities for them to acquire relevant skills through developing the prototype.

Demand for satellites is rising both at home and abroad.

If entities have their own satellites, it will allow them to be used when needed, such as for emergency surveys of affected areas in the event of a disaster. It could also be used to track bears near inhabited areas — a growing concern in recent years — as well as monitoring crop growth.

Yamagata University Prof. Shinichi Kamei, an expert on social systems theory who is the project’s director, said at a press conference Thursday: “A major goal is to foster people in the prefecture who can help with space development. We hope Benibana-Sat becomes something that is familiar to those in the prefecture, creates new businesses and eventually makes Yamagata a space-oriented prefecture.”