ElevationSpace, a Japanese startup developing commercial reentry vehicles, signed a memorandum of understanding with Space Cargo Unlimited to study flying the company's BentoBox experiment platform on ElevationSpace's reentry spacecraft. The partnership aims to safely return sensitive payloads like pharmaceuticals and biotech samples to Earth. ElevationSpace is preparing its AOBA demonstrator for launch in mid-2027 and closed a $40 million Series B funding round in June, bringing total funding to $63.5 million.
The company uses lift-controlled reentry technology to reduce deceleration forces and enable precise landings. ElevationSpace faces new competition from SpaceX's Starfall vehicle, which completed its first test flight in June carrying up to 1,000 kilograms of payload, but industry figures argue the market is large enough for multiple competitors. With few countries currently possessing reentry capabilities, panelists at the Spacetide conference in Tokyo stressed the need for competition to avoid dependence on a single country or company.