ElevationSpace

ElevationSpace is a Japanese space startup developing small recoverable spacecraft for conducting research, technology demonstrations, and manufacturing in microgravity. Founded in 2021 as a Tohoku University spinout in collaboration with JAXA, the company focuses on atmospheric re-entry and recovery technology to return materials from orbit to Earth. Its primary product, ELS-R, is a small uncrewed space utilization and recovery platform capable of carrying multiple payloads, performing experiments in microgravity, and returning results to Earth via a re-entry capsule. The first ELS-R unit, named AOBA, is a 200-kilogram spacecraft scheduled for launch in the second half of 2026 aboard an Isar Aerospace Spectrum rocket. A second service, ELS-RS, is under development as a high-frequency cargo return system designed to retrieve experimental samples and manufactured materials from crewed space stations in low Earth orbit, addressing the post-ISS era when the station retires in 2030. ElevationSpace has been selected for two JAXA Space Strategy Fund programs and has partnered with Axiom Space on re-entry and recovery services.