Axelspace GRUS / eo constellation
sourcingtypical 4/5 · 13 factsopticalJapanoperational
GRUS is a constellation of 80 kg Earth observation micro-satellites developed and operated by Axelspace, equipped with optical telescopes providing 2.5 m ground resolution panchromatic and 5.0 m multispectral imagery with a swath over 50 km, flying in a 600 km sun-synchronous orbit. The first satellite, GRUS 1A, launched on 27 December 2018, followed by four more (1B-1E) launched together on 22 March 2021.
key details
stock
TSE: 402A (source, as of 2026-07-08)
faq
Who operates Axelspace GRUS?
Axelspace GRUS is operated by Axelspace. (source, as of 2026-07-08)
When did Axelspace GRUS first launch?
Axelspace GRUS first launched on 2018-12-27. (source, as of 2026-07-08)
imaging modes
Panchromaticresolution2.5 mswathnot stated
Multispectralresolution5 mswathnot stated
facts
operatorAxelspace
countryJapan
sensor typesoptical
sats launched (total)12
sats active (verified)unknown
sats planned50
orbit600 km SSO
first launch2018-12-27
latest launch2026-07-07
statusoperational
websiteaxelspace.com
resolution (m)2.5
spectral bandsblue, green, red, red edge, near infrared
orbit
orbit600 km SSO
sats launched (total)12
sats active (verified)unknown
sats planned50
events
timeline
- 20262026-07-07Axelspace confirms July 7, 2026 launch date for seven GRUS-3 Earth observation microsatellites (source, as of 2026-07-12)
- 20252025-06-23GRUS-3alpha launches to validate the optical system for Axelspace's next-generation GRUS-3 satellites (source, as of 2026-07-12)
- 20212021-06-10Axelspace starts AxelGlobe Earth observation service with its five-satellite GRUS constellation (source, as of 2026-07-12)
- 2021-05-14Axelspace closes Series C funding to add five more GRUS satellites to the AxelGlobe constellation (source, as of 2026-07-12)
- 2021-03-22GRUS 1B, 1C, 1D and 1E launch together from Baikonur, completing the five-satellite GRUS-1 constellation (source, as of 2026-07-12)
- 20182018-12-27GRUS 1A launches aboard Soyuz-2-1a from Vostochny, Axelspace's first GRUS satellite (source, as of 2026-07-12)
- 20082008Axelspace founded (source, as of 2026-07-12)
sources
[1] space.skyrocket.de ↗
operator2026-07-08sensor types2026-07-08orbit2026-07-08first launch2026-07-08resolution (m)2026-07-16spectral bands2026-07-16
[2] axelspace.com ↗
sats launched (total)first-party2026-07-13sats active (claimed)first-party2026-07-08latest launchfirst-party2026-07-13statusfirst-party2026-07-08websitefirst-party2026-07-08
[3] axelspacehd.com ↗
countryfirst-party2026-07-08
[4] newspace.im ↗
sats plannedprov2026-07-12
Includes data from Gunter's Space Page: doc_sdat/grus-1.htm