Meet Masatoshi Nagasaki, the world’s first self-styled space trader exploring a new US$43 billion industry
- Nagasaki wants his Space BD start-up to become a one-stop shop for companies looking for room on rockets, offering technical advice and matching them to launch operators
- Nagasaki is betting that Space BD will succeed because it’s based on a proven business model: the Japanese trading house
The business of manufacturing and launching small satellites is projected to grow almost fourfold over the coming decade to US$42.8 billion, creating an opportunity for those seeking to profit from increased commerce between companies in the industry.
One of them is Masatoshi Nagasaki, the world’s first self-styled space trader.
“Space companies will definitely need traders,” said Nagasaki, dressed in a navy suit with a white shirt and no necktie. “I want to see space become an industry unto itself.”
Nagasaki wants his Space BD start-up to become a one-stop shop for companies looking for room on rockets, offering technical advice and matching them to launch operators. Middlemen are now necessary to industrialise and develop businesses, Nagasaki said.
Space BD has won contracts for the deployment of at least 15 small satellites, including its first overseas deal with an academic research institute in Australia. A partnership between the University of Sydney, the University of New South Wales and 10 other institutions is working with Space BD to release CubeSats, the boxy, standardised mini satellites used to gather information in space.
