21 Dec, 2023

TOKYO—December 21, 2023—ispace, inc., (ispace) a global lunar exploration company, today announced that it received a notice of funding of $80 million (12 billion Yen) on Dec. 15, 2023, for the Japanese government’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant.

ispace was selected in October 2023 by the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI) for the “Development and Operational Demonstration of a Lunar Lander.” It has begun design of a lunar lander, tentatively named Series 3, with the minimum capability of transporting a payload of 100 kg to the Moon’s surface.

According to the terms of the grant, ispace is expected to manufacture, assemble, launch and operate the lander by 2027. The Series 3 lander’s inaugural mission is scheduled for Mission 6, with the aim of achieving ispace’s business model of providing high-frequency, low-cost transportation to the Moon.

To meet a growing demand from government, commercial, and educational organizations, ispace is leveraging its global presence through its three business units in Japan, the U.S., and Luxembourg, for the simultaneous development of missions. Mission 2, currently planned to be launched in 2024, is led by its Japanese office and will use the optimized RESILIENCE lander to transport commercial payloads to the lunar surface including a micro rover designed by its Luxembourg office. Mission 3, currently planned to be launched in 2026, is led by its U.S. office and will utilize the APEX 1.0 lander.

About ispace

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. The company has offices in Japan, Luxembourg, and the United States with more than 250 employees worldwide. For more information, visit: www.ispace-inc.com and follow us on X: @ispace_inc.