Mitsubishi has acquired ground station as a service (GSaaS) provider Infostellar.Mitsubishi Electric acquired all shares of Infostellar on July 1, making Infostellar a wholly owned subsidiary. Terms of the deal were not shared.Infostellar provides ground segment as a service (GSaaS) offerings for orbiting satellites through its proprietary ground station platform, StellarStation.Mitsubishi Electric said it has “extensive expertise” in satellites and ground facilities, developing various projects in Japan and overseas, including for the Japanese space agency, JAXA.The two companies said they aim to expand ground station services for satellite operators. The deal will combine Mitsubishi Electric’s satellite and ground facility development, manufacturing and system integration with Infostellar’s GSaaS platform.Masahiko Arai, Mitsubishi Electric’s executive officer, group president, defense & space systems, said: “As the use of outer space diversifies and global demand for satellite-based services increases, Infostellar’s innovative business model for cloud-based ground station services will enable the Mitsubishi Electric Group to strengthen its defense and space systems business. By combining Infostellar’s agile development capabilities and global network with Mitsubishi Electric’s manufacturing and integration technologies for satellites and ground facilities, we will provide new solutions that significantly reduce customers’ operational burdens and contribute to the sustainable growth of the space industry.”GSaaS provides satellite operators with access to ground stations on a pay-per-use basis, allowing multiple users to book time and capacity on shared antennas, as opposed to buying their own. Startup GSaaS providers include Leaf Space, RBC Signals, Atlas Space Operations, and eNexus, as well as incumbents such as KSAT and AWS.Infostellar has previously announced ground station partnerships with South Korean ground station firm Contec, Japanese provider Astro Gate, India’s Dhruva Space, and Sat.IO.Naomi Kurahara, Infostellar’s representative director and CEO, added: “Based on our mission of ‘We connect Earth and Space to empower the future,’ we provide satellite operators worldwide with flexible and highly scalable communication infrastructure through Infostellar’s cloud-based ground station platform, StellarStation. We are delighted to take this new step forward by joining the Mitsubishi Electric Group, which has a long history and solid technological capabilities in the space industry. Integrating our technological capabilities will enable us to accelerate the development of large-scale ground station networks and establish them as an integral part of space infrastructure, contributing to the further development of the space industry.”