HEAD Aerospace
HEAD Aerospace is a privately held Chinese commercial aerospace company that operates the 48-satellite Skywalker (Tianxingzhe) constellation delivering global AIS ship tracking, ADS-B aircraft monitoring, and narrowband IoT DCS services to government maritime, aviation, and IoT customers, supported by a worldwide ground station network.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2007
- HeadquartersBeijing, China
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What HEAD Aerospace does
HEAD Aerospace (legal entity Beijing HEAD Aerospace Technology Co., Ltd. / 北京和德宇航技术有限公司) is a privately held Chinese commercial aerospace company founded in April 2007 and headquartered in Beijing's Haidian District within the Beijing Institute of Technology National Defense Science and Technology Industrial Park. The company positions itself as a domestic commercial aerospace leader and intelligent spatial information service provider, operating on a B2G and B2B go-to-market motion with direct enterprise field sales targeting government space programs, maritime agencies, aviation authorities, and commercial enterprises across China, Southeast Asia, Central Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and the Americas. Leadership is concentrated with founder Jason Zhou serving as chairman and CEO.
The company's core technical platform is the 'Skywalker' / Tianxingzhe (天行者) micro-satellite constellation, described as comprising 48 satellites delivering three integrated services: narrowband space IoT two-way data communication (DCS), global ship position monitoring via AIS, and global aircraft monitoring via ADS-B. The constellation is supported by a worldwide ground station network built and operated through the company's overseas subsidiaries. Constellation buildout is evidenced by multiple successful Chinese launches between 2019 and 2022: HEAD-2 A/B from Taiyuan (December 2019), C/D from Jiuquan (May 2020), E/F from Taiyuan via Long March 2 (October 2021), G from Taiyuan via Long March 4 (August 2022), and H from the Yellow Sea via Jielong-3 (December 2022). The company also participates in the China Transportation Constellation program alongside CAST and other state partners, and maintains 'Core' tier strategic partnerships with CNSA, the National Remote Sensing Center, NSOAS, China Resources Satellite Application Center, CAST, AIR-CAS, and the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Revenue mechanics span three streams inferred from product and partnership structure: (1) recurring subscription-based satellite services (AIS, ADS-B, DCS) sold primarily to government agencies and commercial maritime and aviation customers; (2) constellation systems and satellite platform hardware sales tied to constellation programs; and (3) professional services for ground station design, construction, deployment, and local operational support across the seven regional subsidiaries. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is expected to be quote-based per contract. Headcount is reported in the 11-50 range, which is small relative to the global operational footprint and suggests heavy reliance on government partners and outsourced infrastructure. Revenue, funding, and ownership composition are not disclosed in the source data, and there is no post-2022 milestone evidence in the input.
HEAD Aerospace firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- HEAD Aerospace
- Legal name
- Beijing HEAD Aerospace Technology Co., Ltd. (北京和德宇航技术有限公司)
- Website
- https://head-aerospace.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2007
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- HEAD Aerospace is a privately held Chinese commercial aerospace company that operates the 48-satellite Skywalker (Tianxingzhe) constellation delivering global AIS ship tracking, ADS-B aircraft monitoring, and narrowband IoT DCS services to government maritime, aviation, and IoT customers, supported by a worldwide ground station network.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
HEAD Aerospace industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Satellite Earth Observation & IoT Communication Services
- NAICS
- Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Manufacturing (336414), Satellite Telecommunications (51741)
- SIC
- Guided Missiles & Space Vehicles & Parts (3760)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Satellite Network Operations & Capacity Services (NOC, Capacity Leasing, Managed Payload Services) (HDAIAJAI)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Satellite Ground Segment & Gateway Services (Teleports, Gateways, Ground Station-as-a-Service) (HDAIAJAH), Spacecraft & Satellites (Civil/Commercial) (IMABACAB)
Keywords
Where HEAD Aerospace is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Beijing
- HQ country
- China
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices1 record
Markets served
HEAD Aerospace business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Satellite Services and Data Provision: Revenue generated from providing satellite-based monitoring services including AIS ship tracking, ADS-B aircraft tracking, and IoT data communication services to government agencies and commercial customers.
- Constellation Systems and Satellite Platforms: Revenue from developing and deploying satellite constellations including the China Transportation Constellation (和德二号 series) and the Skywalker constellation.
- Ground Station Systems and Infrastructure: Revenue from designing, building, and deploying ground station systems globally, including local installation and operational support services.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels3 records
HEAD Aerospace product offering
Product offeringCore offering
HEAD Aerospace operates the Tianxingzhe (Skywalker) micro-satellite constellation of 48 satellites providing narrowband space IoT data communication (DCS), global ship position monitoring via AIS, and global aircraft monitoring via ADS-B. The company complements its in-orbit constellation with a globally-deployed ground station network across China, Southeast Asia, Central Asia, South Asia, Middle East, Africa, and the Americas, delivering localized satellite application services and ground station infrastructure to government and commercial customers.
Product overview
HEAD Aerospace (北京和德宇航技术有限公司) is a domestic commercial aerospace leader and intelligent spatial information service provider. The company offers an integrated portfolio centered on the Tianxingzhe Constellation — a 48-micro-satellite system providing narrowband space IoT DCS, AIS for global ship tracking, and ADS-B for global aircraft monitoring — supported by a globally-deployed ground station network across Asia, Africa, Middle East, and the Americas. The Aerospace Center division develops the underlying micro-satellite and constellation technologies that power these services. The company also conducts major national aerospace projects and delivers satellite application services through its global ground station infrastructure.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- 天行者 (SkyWalker) Constellation: Advanced micro-satellite constellation providing narrowband space IoT two-way data communication (DCS), global ship position monitoring (AIS), and global aircraft monitoring (ADS-B) services. The constellation comprises 48 satellites.
Products and services
- Tianxingzhe (Skywalker) Constellation Service A 48-micro-satellite constellation providing narrowband space IoT two-way data communication (DCS), global ship position monitoring (AIS), and global aircraft monitoring (ADS-B), delivered to government agencies and commercial customers requiring global coverage beyond terrestrial ranges.
- Global Ground Station System Construction Design, construction, and deployment of ground stations across China, Southeast Asia, Central Asia, South Asia, Middle East, Africa, and the Americas, with regional subsidiaries providing localized satellite application services and on-orbit operations support.
- Aerospace Center The Aerospace Center division conducts micro-satellite and constellation technology R&D and innovation, applying these technologies to support human-life and commercial applications, including major national aerospace projects.
Companies that use HEAD Aerospace
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
HEAD Aerospace technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
HEAD Aerospace partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- China National Space Administration (CNSA)coreStrategic partnership with China's national space agency for satellite program development and space industry collaboration.
- National Remote Sensing CentercoreCollaboration with the national remote sensing center for satellite applications and remote sensing data services.
- National Satellite Ocean Application Service (NSOAS)corePartnership with China's national ocean satellite application center supporting maritime satellite services and ocean monitoring.
- China Resources Satellite Application CentercoreCollaboration with China's land resources satellite application center for Earth observation and satellite data applications.
- China Academy of Space Technology (CAST)coreTechnology partnership with China's primary spacecraft research and manufacturing institute for satellite development.
- Chinese Academy of Sciences Aerospace Information Innovation Research Institute (AIR-CAS)coreStrategic collaboration with the Institute of Aerospace Information Innovation for satellite technology R&D and innovation.
- Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS)coreStrategic partnership with China's premier scientific institution supporting aerospace research and development.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
HEAD Aerospace competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Astrocast: Astrocast operates a nanosatellite constellation for narrowband IoT connectivity and asset tracking in remote areas, a similar but earlier-stage proposition to HEAD's DCS service.
- Kepler Communications: Kepler is building a LEO constellation for IoT/data relay services, pursuing the same enterprise and remote-asset connectivity market that HEAD targets with its DCS narrowband offering.
- Fleet Space Technologies: Fleet Space operates a nanosatellite constellation providing satellite IoT connectivity for industrial and remote-asset monitoring, closely comparable to HEAD's narrowband IoT DCS service.
Others
- Kongsberg Maritime: Kongsberg supplies maritime surveillance and vessel-tracking systems, including satellite-based AIS infrastructure commonly used by maritime authorities; it is a downstream buyer/complementor in the AIS value chain that HEAD serves.
Regional players
- GST SST (Beijing Guodian Gaoke Tianyu Space Technology Co. - HEAD/Apstar/AsiaSat ecosystem partners): Established Chinese state-affiliated satellite operators and integrators (e.g., CRC/CRESDA-tier application centers tied to CAST) operate complementary spacecraft and Earth-observation assets in the same domestic ecosystem where HEAD sells data and ground-station services.
Direct peers
- Spire Global: Spire operates a LEO nanosatellite constellation delivering AIS ship tracking, ADS-B aircraft tracking, and weather/IoT data. It directly competes with HEAD's Skywalker/Skywalker constellation across the same maritime, aviation, and data service verticals.
- ExactEarth (now Spire Maritime): ExactEarth pioneered global satellite AIS ship tracking and is now part of Spire; it competes head-to-head with HEAD's AIS maritime domain awareness offering and serves the same global maritime authority buyers.
- Aireon: Aireon delivers global space-based ADS-B aircraft surveillance, exactly the same use case as one of HEAD's three core service lines, and is the dominant Western incumbent in this category.
- ORBCOMM: ORBCOMM provides global satellite IoT and asset-tracking services via its own constellation, closely mirroring HEAD's DCS narrowband IoT two-way data offering for industrial and remote-asset use cases.
Broad incumbents
- Iridium Communications: Iridium operates a global L-band satellite network supporting aviation surveillance, maritime safety, and IoT connectivity through partners such as Aireon. It is a broader incumbent whose portfolio overlaps with HEAD's AIS/ADS-B/IoT services from a much larger and more established base.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
HEAD Aerospace financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
HEAD Aerospace leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
HEAD Aerospace subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
HEAD Aerospace funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
HEAD Aerospace M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about HEAD Aerospace
What does HEAD Aerospace do?
HEAD Aerospace operates the Tianxingzhe (Skywalker) micro-satellite constellation of 48 satellites providing narrowband space IoT data communication (DCS), global ship position monitoring via AIS, and global aircraft monitoring via ADS-B. The company complements its in-orbit constellation with a globally-deployed ground station network across China, Southeast Asia, Central Asia, South Asia, Middle East, Africa, and the Americas, delivering localized satellite application services and ground station infrastructure to government and commercial customers.
Is HEAD Aerospace a public or private company?
HEAD Aerospace is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was HEAD Aerospace founded?
HEAD Aerospace was founded in 2007. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is HEAD Aerospace based?
HEAD Aerospace is headquartered in Beijing, China, in the Asia region.
How does HEAD Aerospace make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Satellite Services and Data Provision is the primary driver. The others are constellation Systems and Satellite Platforms and ground Station Systems and Infrastructure.
Who are HEAD Aerospace's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are Astrocast, Kepler Communications and Fleet Space Technologies. Kongsberg Maritime is listed as an others. GST SST (Beijing Guodian Gaoke Tianyu Space Technology Co. - HEAD/Apstar/AsiaSat ecosystem partners) is listed as a regional player. Direct peers are Spire Global, ExactEarth (now Spire Maritime), Aireon and ORBCOMM. Iridium Communications is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does HEAD Aerospace have an API?
No public API is recorded for HEAD Aerospace.
What industry is HEAD Aerospace in?
HEAD Aerospace's product category is Satellite Earth Observation & IoT Communication Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDAIAJAI, Satellite Network Operations & Capacity Services (NOC, Capacity Leasing, Managed Payload Services), with a secondary code of HDAIAJAH, Satellite Ground Segment & Gateway Services (Teleports, Gateways, Ground Station-as-a-Service). Its NAICS code is 336414 and its SIC code is 3760.