| 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]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]| 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 |
| QPS-SAR-15 | Sukunami-I | 21 December 2025 | Electron | Mahia | Operational |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "福岡の"リアル下町ロケット"！宇宙ベンチャー企業「ＱＰＳ研究所」". RKB Online (in Japanese). June 28, 2022. Archived from the original on 2022-12-22. Retrieved 2023-12-15.
- ^ "各衛星の稼働状況について" (PDF) (in Japanese). iQPS. September 4, 2025. Retrieved 2025-11-05.
- ^ "九州から宇宙へ！ 衛星開発ベンチャー「QPS研究所」の師弟の夢". FUKUOKA leap up (in Japanese). June 18, 2020. Archived from the original on 2023-03-21. Retrieved 2023-12-15.
- ^ Werner, Debra (September 30, 2020). "Japan's iQPS to update technology for future radar satellites". SpaceNews. Archived from the original on 2023-12-15. Retrieved 2023-12-15.
- ^ "QPS-SAR 1, 2 (Izanagi, Izanami)". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 2025-10-16.
- ^ "QPS-SAR 3, ..., 19 (Amateru 1, ..., 4, Tsukuyomi 1, 2, Susanoo 1)". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 2025-10-16.