Astroscale Holdings Inc. (“Astroscale”) has opened a new office in Denver, Colorado (“Astroscale U.S.”), thereby adding a strategic United States base to already established entities in Singapore, Japan and the United Kingdom.

Astroscale has also secured an additional $30 million in an extension of the firm's Series D investment round. The funding extension round brings the total Series D amount to $80 million and total capital raised to $132 million.

Astroscale U.S., which will focus on business development and technology growth, will be led by Ron Lopez as Managing Director. Lopez joins Astroscale with more than 25 years of government and industry experience in the aerospace sector, including at the United States Air Force and The Boeing Company. Most recently, Lopez led the Defense & Space Asia Pacific sales team at Honeywell Aerospace, helping the company achieve significant sales growth and expansion into new markets.

The global management team is rounded out by Chris Blackerby, Group Chief Operating Officer, Ai Makino, Chief Financial and Administrative Officer, and John Auburn, Chief Commercial Officer, all of whom have been with Astroscale for several years. Blackerby served at NASA for nearly 15 years, holding several positions including as the NASA Attaché for Asia,and has a deep understanding of U.S.-Japan relations, international cooperation, strategy and policy. Makino brings experience leading financial and personnel teams at several global start-ups. Auburn is an expert in the aerospace sector, well-known for his years of leadership experience and comprehensive commercial understanding of the European space industry.

The investors in Astroscale's Series D Extension Round include...

• INCJ, Ltd.
• Japan Co-Invest II Limited Partnership (Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Investment Co., Ltd.)
• Space aSTART 1 Limited Partnership (aSTART Co., Ltd.)
• Innovation Platform 1 Investment Limited Partnership (UTokyo Innovation Platform Co., Ltd.)
• Joe Hirao

Nobu Okada, Founder and CEO, said this is an exciting time for Astroscale and marks a significant milestone for the company, its employees and future customers who will all benefit from the opportunities this expansion presents. The United States has been active in addressing issues related to space traffic management and the mitigation of orbital debris. An office in the United States will allow the company to work closely with policy makers and business leaders to devise a sustainable solution for this global issue.