Space Leasing International

Space Leasing International (SLI), a subsidiary of the Libra Group (a privately-held international business group with diverse industrial holdings), is the world's first dedicated space asset leasing company — applying the sale-and-leaseback and asset finance models familiar from aviation and maritime finance to space infrastructure including satellites, ground stations, and launch facilities.

SLI's business model converts satellite capital expenditure into operating expenditure for telecommunications operators, government agencies, and commercial satellite users: instead of spending $200-500 million to purchase a satellite outright, a customer can contract with SLI to own the satellite and lease it back on a multi-year agreement with fixed monthly payments. This structure provides the customer with satellite capacity without the balance sheet impact of a large capital asset purchase, preserves the customer's capital for other investments, and may offer tax advantages depending on the customer's jurisdiction.

SLI's recent $200+ million deal for two AscendArc GEO satellites — leased to satellite operators or manufacturers — demonstrates the company's ability to finance substantial single transactions. AscendArc satellites are high-throughput GEO telecommunications platforms, and the lease structure allows operators to procure new-generation satellite capacity without requiring Board approval for nine-figure capital expenditures or bond issuance.

The space leasing model is modeled on aviation finance: aircraft are typically leased from financial lessors (AerCap, Air Lease Corporation) rather than owned by airlines, with lessors raising lower-cost capital in debt markets and passing through financing cost advantages to airline operating lessees. Space has historically lacked equivalent financial infrastructure because the small number of transactions, long asset lives, and specialized technical requirements made it difficult to build the standardized documentation and risk assessment frameworks that enable efficient secondary markets for leased assets. SLI's establishment of dedicated space leasing expertise aims to develop this missing financial infrastructure for the growing commercial space economy.