Rockets from Hokkaido

Private

Interstellar Technologies is a rocket startup based in Taiki, a small farming town in Hokkaido. It was the first Japanese private company to send a privately developed rocket to space, and it is now building ZERO, an orbital launcher for small satellites, with Toyota’s mobility unit as its lead investor.

Company overview

From MOMO to ZERO

MOMO: proving the basics

The company’s first rocket, MOMO, is a single-stage sounding rocket that flies above 100 km and falls back to Earth. In 2019 MOMO became the first rocket developed solely by a Japanese private company to reach space. The program gave the team flight data and operating experience at low cost, including failures that shaped its engineering culture.

ZERO: the commercial target

ZERO is a two-stage rocket designed to place small satellites into low Earth orbit. Two design choices stand out:

• Fuel — ZERO burns liquid methane. The company has worked with local partners on liquefied biomethane made from cow manure, a resource Hokkaido’s dairy farms produce in large volumes.
• Low-cost manufacturing — The team builds key parts in-house and aims for a launch price that can compete with foreign small launchers.

In March 2026, ZERO passed a stage-gate review under the Ministry of Education’s SBIR program, which funds deep-tech development. The company says the first flight will carry seven satellites from Japanese and overseas customers. A firm launch date had not been announced at the time of writing.

Why Toyota is involved

In January 2025, Woven by Toyota invested 7 billion yen (about US$44 million) as the first close of Interstellar’s Series F round, and a Woven by Toyota representative joined the board. Further closes followed in 2025, and by January 2026 the company reported a Series F total of 20.1 billion yen, with SBI Group, Nomura Real Estate and B Dash Ventures among the new investors.

The partnership is not only financial. Toyota brings mass-production methods: standardized parts, quality control and supply chain management. Making rockets in volume, rather than one at a time, is the main lever for cutting launch costs.

Hokkaido as a launch base

Taiki faces the Pacific Ocean to the east and south, which allows launches into both equatorial and polar orbits without flying over populated land. The town hosts Hokkaido Spaceport (HOSPO), a commercial launch site open to private users. Interstellar is the anchor tenant, and its presence has brought engineering jobs and related businesses to a rural area.

What this means for overseas partners

• Satellite operators — A domestic Japanese launcher adds an option for small-satellite customers who want launch capacity outside the US and Europe.
• Investors — Interstellar is one of the best-funded private space companies in Japan, with backing from Toyota and major financial groups and support from government programs.
• Suppliers — Components, testing services and ground equipment are needed as the company scales production.
• Risk — Orbital launch is hard. ZERO has not yet flown, and schedules for new rockets often slip.

Conclusion

Interstellar Technologies combines a startup’s speed with Toyota’s manufacturing know-how and a launch site with good access to orbit. If ZERO reaches orbit and the company can build it in volume, Japan will gain a private small-satellite launcher, and Hokkaido will gain a new industry.