Nobu Okada

Since its inception in 2013, Nobu has grown Astroscale from a single person to an international group, established a global footprint in five countries, and raised over USD $383 million.
As a highly respected and influential figure in the space industry, Nobu holds several key positions, including member of the International Academy of Astronautics and Space Generation Advisory Council Advisory Board, and a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society. Nobu was the International Astronautical Federation’s Vice President for Space Economy and Sponsorship until 2023 and co-chair of the World Economic Forum Council Global Future Council on Space Technologies until 2021, where he played a key role in developing the concept of a Space Sustainability Rating, a system designed to ensure long-term sustainability by encouraging responsible behavior among countries and companies participating in space.
Since founding Astroscale, Nobu has received numerous awards and accolades, including 2023 IAF’s Excellence in Industry Award (SME), 2022 Prime Minister’s Award, 2022 TIME100 Most Influential Companies, 2021 Satellite Technology of the Year, 2020 SpaceNews Company Leader of the Year, 2020 UNESCO Netexplo Innovation Forum Grand Prix, Forbes JAPAN “Start-up of The Year 2019”, and World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer in 2017.
Prior to Astroscale, Nobu was an IT entrepreneur and strategy consultant, and had managed IT companies in Japan, China, India and Singapore. He led one company to a successful IPO. Before joining the IT industry, he worked for McKinsey & Company and the Japanese Government in the Ministry of Finance.
Nobu earned his bachelor’s degree in Agriculture from the University of Tokyo in 1995 and an MBA from the Krannert School of Business, Purdue University in 2001.