World’s First Space Leasing Company Launched by Libra Group

Libra Group has launched the world’s first space leasing company. The new subsidiary, Space Leasing International (SLI), is dedicated to the full spectrum of space assets and is expected to contribute considerably to the acceleration of the space economy.

SLI’s first significant investment is the construction of a ground station in the geo-spatially critical Alaskan Arctic, which is vital for polar orbits that monitor climate change. Plans to invest in the construction of a further 20 ground stations have already been outlined.

With the launch of SLI, Libra Group, which has two decades of aviation leasing experience, is well-positioned to take advantage of the rapidly growing space economy which is projected to exceed $1 trillion by 2040.

The space economy

With the space economy projected to grow by such significant margins in future decades, firms are seeking to capitalize on new opportunities in the wider space sector. Currently, the major sectors of the space industry are satellite manufacturing, support, ground equipment manufacturing, and the launch industry.

According to the European Space Agency, the growth of the space sector positively impacts other areas of the economy, such as transport, renewable energy, agriculture, and urban development.

However, the space sector’s growth may be limited by the high costs associated with creating and maintaining space assets and insufficient supply and access to space infrastructure.

Space leasing: opportunities and investment

Currently, there are no lessors dedicated to leasing a full spectrum of space assets. SLI’s ambition is to fuel innovation in the space sector by being the first dedicated lessor of space assets.

A new ground station in the Alaskan Arctic – SLI’s first investment – will be leased to Redmond, Washington-based operator RBC Signals. The station will help monitor climate change and polar orbits.

Over the next three years, SLI will invest in a further 20 ground stations which will also be leased to RBC Signals.

“Thanks to far-reaching human ingenuity, our society continues to push the bounds of possibility,” said George Logothetis, Executive Chairman of Libra Group. “The power of space is limitless and is revolutionizing how we communicate, navigate, gather information, fight climate change, and is beyond what we can imagine.”

“SLI is helping to democratize the space economy by investing in building and maintaining a portfolio of space assets that will spark paradigm-shifting technologies and help to test and create market access at scale,” he continued. “This is the next exciting step for our Group, which is committed to advancing innovation, sustainability, and social impact while advancing the future in global sectors, including aerospace, maritime, and beyond.”

Alejandro Kerschen, Chief Executive Officer of SLI, also commented, saying “SLI is building out an end-to-end portfolio of space assets available for lease to operators, providing a critical, otherwise missing link between the manufacturer and operator. This helps grow production capacity, strengthens the product to the market value chain, and ultimately spurs critical innovation and development of space assets.”

“Building on the strong leasing legacy of Libra Group subsidiaries within other transport sectors, SLI is positioned to unlock the transformational power of leasing to support our customers from across the world to access space,” Kerschen continued. “We are pleased to be working with RBC Signals as we launch this exciting initiative.”

“By enabling businesses to access high-quality assets used in space, SLI is breaking down barriers to entry and unlocking new opportunities for growth and development,” said Christopher Richins, Founder, and Chief Executive Officer of RBC Signals.

“RBC Signals is proud to partner with SLI, and we look forward to a successful long-term relationship as they build a diverse portfolio of space assets,” added Richins. “We are also very excited to gain access to the greater and global Libra Group platform as we continue to grow our business around the world.”