6 Oct, 2023
Agreement Aimed at Meeting Demand for Lunar Orbital Mission Transportation Services in the Indo-Pacific Region
TOKYO – October 6, 2023 – ispace, inc. (ispace) announced today that it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Skyroot Aerospace Private Limited (Skyroot), the first Indian company to successfully launch a privately developed rocket into space, and HEX20 Pty Ltd (HEX20), an Australian company with a proven track record in supplying components for CubeSats and small satellites.
Under the agreement, ispace, Skyroot, and HEX20 have agreed to conduct joint market development in the Indo-Pacific region to accelerate the number of lunar orbiting satellite missions.
“We are thrilled to announce the MOU between Skyroot and HEX20,” said Atsushi Saiki, Chief Revenue Officer for ispace. “The ability to build such partnerships in the Indo-Pacific region is a unique strength of ispace. From here, we aim to create a transportation service for full-scale lunar orbit missions.”
ispace is currently negotiating with customers around the globe for payload service contracts and data services for ispace’s Mission 3 and beyond. Through this agreement, the three companies will combine their knowledge base and networks to open the market to various customers in the Indo-Pacific region, who may be considering lunar orbiting satellite missions. The agreement is expected to accelerate the development and provision of these services to these various customers.
About Skyroot Aerospace Private Limited (https://skyroot.in/)
Skyroot Aerospace, headquartered in Hyderabad, India, stands as the country’s leading private space launch vehicle company. Distinguished by its groundbreaking achievements, Skyroot has accomplished the simultaneous development and validation of solid, liquid, and cryogenic propulsion technologies. Notably, they have harnessed advanced materials and manufacturing techniques, such as carbon fibre structures, miniaturized avionics, and 3D printed engines. With the Vikram series achieving a momentous milestone, Skyroot made history in 2022 by launching India’s first private launch vehicle, solidifying its pioneering role in India’s private space ecosystem. As they gear up for the orbital launch of the Vikram series later this year, Skyroot remains steadfast in its mission to “Open Space for All.”
About HEX20 Pty Ltd
HEX20 is an innovative Australian small satellite company that provides cost-effective platforms, customized hardware and advanced sensor technology for the cubesat and small satellite markets. HEX20 aims to provide solutions for the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and cislunar markets, making these high-quality hardware platforms more intelligent and reliable for commercial, defense, and academic applications, cost-effective, reliable, and easy to use.
About ispace, inc.
ispace, a global lunar resource development company with the vision, “Expand our Planet. Expand our Future.”, specializes in designing and building lunar landers and rovers. ispace aims to extend the sphere of human life into space and create a sustainable world by providing high-frequency, low-cost transportation services to the Moon.
ispace has offices in Japan, Luxembourg, and the United States with more than 250 employees worldwide. ispace technologies U.S., inc. is part of a team led by Draper, which was awarded a NASA Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) Program contract to land on the far side of the Moon. Both ispace, and ispace EUROPE S.A. (ispace EU) were awarded contracts to collect and transfer ownership of lunar regolith to NASA, and ispace EU was selected by ESA to be part of the Science Team for PROSPECT, a program which seeks to extract water on the Moon.
Established in 2010, ispace operated “HAKUTO” which was one of five finalist teams in the Google Lunar XPRIZE race. ispace’s first mission, part of its HAKUTO-R lunar exploration program, launched on Dec. 11, 2022, from the United States on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and completed 8 of 10 mission milestones. Subsequent missions are in development with launches expected in 2024 and 2026. ispace has also launched a lunar data business concept to support new customers as a gateway to conduct business on the Moon.