Japanese space robotics startup Gitai closed a new $30M (4B yen) funding round to back its expansion in the U.S.

 

Japanese space robotics startup Gitai closed a new $30M (4B yen) funding round to back its expansion in the U.S.  The firm intends to use the proceeds to increase its number of employees in the U.S., adding more engineers to its workforce.  Gitai is developing robotic arms and rovers for routine maintenance, construction, assembly, and inspection of space machinery, a task considered dangerous for human astronauts.  CEO Sho Nakanose said, "Huge space companies such as SpaceX and BlueOrigin are solving the space transportation problem, and now the bottleneck has changed from transportation costs to operational costs." Gitai is backed by Global Brain Corp., Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, and Yamato Holdings.   NASA's lucrative contracts are enticing global space startups to relocate operations to the U.S.  Nakanose decided to move operations to the U.S. for the same reason, adding that "The Japanese space market is limited."