Nikon has announced that it has made an investment in Vast Inc (wait for it…) a company involved in the design, development, manufacturing, and operation of commercial space stations. And if that wasn’t cool enough, Vast is gearing up to build the orbital station that will replace the International Space Station (ISS), which is set to be deorbited in 2030. Forgive me for oversimplifying things here, but – in a roundabout way – Nikon’s involved in the construction of the next ISS.
The ‘Big N’ is, of course, no stranger to celestial activity, having teamed up with NASA way back in 1971, with the Nikon Photomic FTN actually attached to the moon-bound Apollo 15 crew. And it’s no secret that Nikon is once again gearing up for lunar trips thanks to its involvement in the Artemis missions. In fact, I recently reported on NASA’s upcoming Artemis II mission to orbit the moon and how the crew will be armed with Nikon D5 DSLR cameras. And for the actual Artemis III moon landing, they’ll be taking specially-modified Nikon Z9 cameras.
And that’s before you consider that various Nikon cameras have been a mainstay of the International Space Station for decades. What I didn’t know was that Nikon’s advanced manufacturing business is developing applications to 3D print space components, and that the company’s additive manufacturing tech has been selected for the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Space Strategy Fund program, where Nikon will be contributing to the production of high-precision space rocket components.
The company’s investment in Vast, then, will allow it to boost its advanced manufacturing tech. According to Director, President and CEO of Nikon Ventures Corporation, Hamid Zarringhalam, “Nikon is tremendously proud of our half-century of contributions to space science and exploration, and through this investment in Vast, as well as other programs across our Nikon imaging and AM businesses, we look forward to enabling transformative capabilities in space.”
Vast CEO, Max Haot, stated, “We're excited to work with Nikon to unlock the next era of commercial space that advances exploration and technological breakthroughs that benefit the world.”
So there you have it, Nikon’s impressive celestial legacy isn’t just about sending cameras into space, it’s playing its part in the modern space race, too.
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