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Japanese startup Letara has raised 2.6 billion yen, approximately $16 million, to expand its hybrid rocket technology from small-satellite thrusters to larger systems targeting the space, defense, and security sectors. The company is preparing for an in-orbit operational test with a foreign partner before moving to scalable commercial production.
Orienspace has begun preparations for IPO-related guidance and announced a pre-Series C funding round worth hundreds of millions of yuan to accelerate development of the reusable Gravity-2 rocket. The company aims to prepare the rocket for its first launch in the fourth quarter of 2026, after postponing an earlier target scheduled for late 2025.