ispace is a Japanese lunar exploration company that aims to provide low-cost and frequent transportation services to the Moon. They specialize in designing and building lunar landers and rovers for payload delivery and data collection. ispace has partnerships with organizations like JAXA and ESA, and their customers include government space agencies, research institutions, and private companies. The company's vision is to expand human presence beyond Earth by enabling the utilization of lunar resources.
All verified mentions of this organization in source documents.
iSpace became the first privately funded Chinese company to reach orbit in 2019 with the solid-fueled Hyperbola-1 rocket.
Beijing Interstellar Glory Space Technology Ltd. (iSpace) launched the Hyperbola-2Y single-stage hopper at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on 2023-11-02.
CAS Space, Galactic Energy, iSpace, Expace, Space Pioneer, and Landspace all reached orbit in 2023.
iSpace plans a demonstration of reuse for Hyperbola-3 in 2026.
Commercial Chinese launch companies Landspace, Space Pioneer, Galactic Energy, iSpace, and Expace have all reached orbit 2023.
ispace is developing the Series 3 lander to meet demand from countries other than the United States.
Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) awarded ispace an innovation grant worth up to 12,000,000,000 JPY for work on the Series 3 lunar lander.
The Japanese government is providing ispace with $80,000,000 to help fund development of a new lunar lander.
The Series 3 development will leverage work done on APEX 1.0, a lander formerly known as Series 2 that is being developed by ispace U.S.
The first APEX 1.0 lander for the Draper CLPS mission is designated Mission 3 by ispace and is slated to launch in 2026.
ispace was selected by Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry for a Small Business Innovation Research grant worth up to approximately $80,000,000 (12,000,000,000 JPY).
ispace’s Mission 2 is currently planned to be launched in 2024 and led by its Japanese office.
ispace’s Mission 3 is currently planned to be launched in 2026 and led by its U.S. office.
ispace operates three business units in Japan, the United States, and Luxembourg for simultaneous development of missions.
Under the grant terms, ispace is expected to design, manufacture, and assemble a lunar lander capable of transporting a minimum payload of 100 kg to the Moon’s surface and then launch and operate the lander by 2027.
Draper is leading a team that includes ispace US, which is designing a new lunar lander called APEX 1.0.
ispace, inc. signed a memorandum of understanding with Skyroot Aerospace Private Limited and HEX20 Pty Ltd on 2023-10-06 in Tokyo.
Agile Space Industries supplies propulsion components to lunar exploration companies including Astrobotic and ispace.
SpaceX, Blue Origin, and United Launch Alliance in the United States and China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, Landspace, and iSpace in China have launched or are close to launching methane–liquid oxygen launchers.
ispace is developing Mission 2 and Mission 3 at its three offices in Japan, the United States, and Europe.