Interview
Synspective’s Satellites aim to Empower Sustainable Development through Real-time, Actionable Data

Synspective is a pioneering Japanese space startup that specializes in providing Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data and remote monitoring services to government agencies and companies globally. Founded in 2018 by Motoyuki Arai, the company has stood out in a crowded market by focusing on the Asia-Pacific region, and building a unique, collaborative team culture.

“Our business model combines data science and an artificial intelligence approach,” said Arai. “Our uniqueness, our competitiveness is the capability to develop analytics for this satellite data.”

Arai, who has a Ph.D in Technology Management for Innovation from the University of Tokyo, began his career working at the Tokyo office of a US-based consulting firm for five years. He has helped more than 15 global companies design new business and technology strategies, corporate governance, and internal controls. He founded Synspective because he saw the potential for remote sensing to aid in sustainable development, including the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

"Data-driven management will be important to achieve scalable, sustainable development,” said Arai. “There are so many things that have to be measured and visualized quantitatively to approach the SDGs with a scientific approach.”

Synspective vision is clear: to empower individuals and organizations by harnessing SAR technology to enhance natural disaster preparedness, natural resource and energy development, and economic development. They can do this because they’ve developed small SAR satellites that can provide high-precision monitoring of the Earth's surface, regardless of weather conditions or time of day.

“Our SAR satellites use microwaves, which can go through clouds, and the reflected microwave can be detected by the satellite,” said Arai, noting that this is especially important in Asia, where monsoons and seasonal rains can leave entire regions cloudy for weeks. “We can get ground, terrain and infrastructures shape data under any weather condition at any time, around the whole world.”

Currently, Synspective has launched four satellites,and is planning to rapidly expand their space array this year. Their satellites will join hundreds of others orbiting the earth, including competitors. In fact, there are numerous startups in the remote sensing space, but most of them are based in Europe or North America, and focus on those markets. Meanwhile, Asia, the world’s largest continent, has massive potential.

That is why Synspective set up an office in Singapore, and is focusing on expanding into Southeast, South, and Central Asia. For example, they recently signed Memoranda of Understanding focusing on InSAR Seismic Risk Assessment in Uzbekistan with the support of JETRO.

Another project has been to work with Southeast Asian oil palm companies. The crop has long been blamed as a driver of deforestation and greenhouse gasses in countries like Indonesia and Malaysia. Synspective is helping companies identify their impact along their supply chain.

“We have been working with palm oil companies to look at the sustainability of palm oil and the production chain,” said Vincent Kessler, Synspective Singapore’s General Manager. “We were able to trace how much subsidence exists in peatland, which is very high in carbon, and actually detect the subsidence of peatland. And with that, we are able to help palm oil companies have better and more sustainable practices for their plantations.”

This is just the start, and, as they expand their constellation of satellites and improve their data processing technology, in the future, Synspective hopes to offer customers advanced analytics services and near-real-time observation of any part of the world.

“We have to try to find innovative ways to work with customers; our challenge is to be very creative,” said Kessler. “We’re trying to build an Asian champion, a company that excels on the world stage and that's based out of Asia.”

For Arai, the journey from 2018 has been a huge learning experience. He thinks that one thing that sets the company apart is its culture.

“Currently, we have people from 26 or 27 nationalities working for us,” said Arai. “We accept different backgrounds, cultures, religions, and work styles and have a base for healthy conflict, which can foster innovation and allow us to learn continuously together.”

With an expanding array and a growing global team, Synspective is ready to collect and provide data that allows businesses, governments, and other organizations to make decisions for sustainability.