9 Dec, 2020

December 9, 2020 – ispace, inc. (ispace), the operator of the commercial lunar exploration program HAKUTO-R, today announced that Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation and SMBC Nikko Securities Inc. of SMBC Group will together become a Corporate Partner of the HAKUTO-R program.

HAKUTO-R is a multinational commercial lunar exploration program operated by ispace. It includes ispace’s first two lunar missions: Mission 1, a soft lunar landing planned to launch in 2022[i], and Mission 2, a lunar landing and deployment of a rover planned to launch in 2023[ii]. For both missions, the HAKUTO-R lander is planned to launch on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket. The program aspires to lay the groundwork for high-frequency lunar transportation.

Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation and SMBC Nikko Securities Inc. align with ispace’s motivation to create a future based on the inclusion of several stakeholders. The SMBC Group is committed to building the future of the global financial industry through the adoption of new technologies and innovations, as well as through the formation of a collaborative network of industry and government participants. Based on the same philosophy that ispace aims to promote through the HAKUTO-R program, SMBC Group understands that contributing to the development of a new industry is important to solve the future challenges that society will face.

ispace, inc. (https://ispace-inc.com/)

ispace is a lunar exploration company with over 100 staff and offices in Japan, Europe and the United States. Founded in 2010, ispace managed Team HAKUTO, one of the 5 finalists in the Google Lunar XPRIZE competition. The company has raised a cumulative total investment of approximately $125 million (USD) in investment. The funding is being used to build a small commercial lunar lander, which aims to provide a high-frequency, low-cost delivery service to the Moon. Aspiring to be a gateway for the private sector to bring their business to the Moon, ispace has also launched a lunar data business concept to support companies with lunar market entry. ispace is part of a team led by Draper, which was selected by NASA to compete in its Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) Program, and ispace Europe was selected by ESA to be part of the Science Team for PROSPECT, a program which seeks to extract water on the Moon.

HAKUTO-R (https://ispace-inc.com/hakuto-r/)

HAKUTO-R is a multinational commercial lunar exploration program operated by ispace. It includes ispace’s first two lunar missions: Mission 1, a soft lunar landing planned to launch in 2022[iii], and Mission 2, a lunar landing and deployment of a rover planned to launch in 2023[iv]. For both missions, the HAKUTO-R lander is planned to launch on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket. The program aspires to lay the groundwork for high-frequency lunar transportation. Partners of HAKUTO-R include Japan Airlines, Suzuki Motors, Citizen Watch, Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance, NGK Spark Plug, Takasago Thermal Engineering, Sumitomo Corporation, and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation and SMBC Nikko Securities Inc. Media Partners for HAKUTO-R include TBS, Asahi Shimbun, and Shogakukan.

###

[i] Planned launch schedule as of December 2020.

[ii] Planned launch schedule as of December 2020.

[iii] Planned launch schedule as of December 2020.

[iv] Planned launch schedule as of December 2020.