Mitsubishi Corporation has reserved and pre-purchased capacity on Starlab’s commercial space station, becoming a foundational customer and increasing its equity stake in the venture. Through its board appointment of Issei Shinohara, Mitsubishi gains usage rights for designated payload volume and on-orbit laboratory facilities. The agreement supports space-based research in drug discovery, nano-medicine, advanced materials and semiconductor manufacturing, and bolsters Japan’s transition from the International Space Station to commercial platforms. Starlab has achieved 27 development milestones and secured $217.5 million from NASA’s Commercial LEO Destinations Phase 1 program plus $15 million from the Texas Space Commission, underscoring the project’s robust funding and technical progress.

Mitsubishi closed its strategic investment in Hudbay Minerals’ fully-permitted Copper World project in Arizona, contributing $420 million in initial capital and committing an additional $180 million within 18 months for a 30% joint venture stake. The funding will underwrite remaining definitive feasibility study and pre-sanction costs, increasing the project’s internal rate of return to approximately 90% based on pre-feasibility estimates. Hudbay’s net debt to adjusted EBITDA ratio stood at 0.5× as of September 30, 2025, and the deal reduces Hudbay’s future capital requirement to roughly $200 million. Feasibility activities are on track for completion in mid-2026, setting the stage for a sanction decision later in the year.