TOKYO — A Japanese startup developing reentry vehicles is signing up customers and preparing for its first mission while keeping a watchful eye on SpaceX’s entry into the market.

ElevationSpace announced July 9 a memorandum of understanding with Space Cargo Unlimited, a Luxembourg-based space manufacturing company. Under the agreement, the companies will study flying Space Cargo Unlimited’s experiment platform, called BentoBox, on ElevationSpace’s reentry vehicles.

“By combining Space Cargo Unlimited’s microgravity production platform with ElevationSpace’s innovative return capabilities, we ensure that highly sensitive payloads, such as pharmaceutical and biotechnology samples, can be returned safely to Earth, creating a stronger foundation for the next generation of commercial space services,” Nicolas Gaume, chief executive of Space Cargo Unlimited, said in a statement.