What is the next big investment space? It could be out in the cosmos, because some very sexy space robots are attracting big money in the expanding “space business” market.
According to a statement sent to The Chainsaw today from the Australian outpost of Epson, Epson X Investment Corporation (EXI) are throwing significant money into a company called GITAI that develops robots for space construction projects.
Epson invested in GITAI in 2021, and according to its statement more money is being chucked at the start-up by EXI, a corporate venture capital firm owned by Seiko Epson Corporation.
The next big investment: Space business
As for exciting new investment spaces, the “business of space” has it all. Space development is accelerating and humans will soon build structures on the moon and on Mars.
The International Space Station (ISS) has also moved to a commercial model, meaning it has to sell services in order to fund itself. It will need to collaborate with other companies, and GITAI is hoping to be one of them.
GITAI plans to sell affordable labour in space, and claims it will “reduce operational costs by up to 100 times” for commercial space organisations it partners with. GITAI also says its bots will “build and maintain satellites, space stations, lunar bases, and even cities on Mars”.
New jobs in space
According to Epson’s statement there will be a rapid increase in various types of work within space: “This work is potentially dangerous and is currently being performed by astronauts, who must be trained and transported at tremendous expense. GITAI is a startup that envisions providing safe and affordable labour in space. Their goal is to develop and sell versatile space robots that will serve as a workforce for tasks both inside and outside space stations, in Earth’s orbit, as well as on the Moon and Mars. Additionally, they aim to provide services in space.”
Epson said it’s investing in GITAI because the technology can be applied to its robotics business, and “in the expanding space business market”.
Will this be a new area of venture capital? It looks like we are about ready to get ourselves into space. So let’s hope that the real estate out there is much cheaper than here!
