20 Nov, 2024
TOKYO/LUXEMBOURG –November 20, 2024 – ispace, inc. (ispace) Founder and CEO Takeshi Hakamada and ispace EUROPE S.A. CEO Julien Lamamy released the following statements on the announcement by the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) regarding continued large-scale cooperation between the two agencies.
For more information about the announcement please see JAXA’s site: JAXA-ESA Joint Statement on Next Big Cooperations
Statement by Takeshi Hakamada, ispace Founder & CEO
“As a global company leading lunar development with entities in Japan and Europe, we sincerely welcome the recent announcement by the ESA and JAXA.
“We have had the privilege of working with both space agencies on significant exploration efforts and welcome the acknowledgement of commercial opportunities ‘with the aim of contributing to new scientific discovery as well as human exploration on the lunar surface.’
“ispace hopes that our Series 3 lunar lander, currently being developed in Japan with the aim of launching it in 2027, combined with our rover products, will further lunar exploration efforts while strengthening the cooperative relationship between the Japanese and European government agencies.”
Statement by Julien Lamamy, CEO of ispace EUROPE S.A.
“The upcoming launch of the TENACIOUS rover, built by ispace in Luxembourg, aboard the RESILIENCE lander, built by ispace in Japan, exemplifies the transformative potential of European-Japanese collaboration in space exploration.
“We wholeheartedly welcome ESA and JAXA’s commitment to advancing their lunar strategies through innovative partnerships that leverage industrial solutions. By leveraging collective expertise, we aim to unlock new synergies across regions and sectors—public and private—to drive innovation and growth in space exploration.
“ispace has a long history of working with both agencies including with JAXA on a feasibility study for lunar resource development, and ispace EUROPE, developing Europe’s first lunar rover, designed and manufactured in part through a LuxIMPULSE grant, managed by the LSA and implemented by ESA, with aims to explore and utilize space resources.”
ispace is leveraging its global presence through its three business units in Japan, the U.S., and Luxembourg, for the simultaneous development of upcoming missions. Mission 2, featuring the RESILIENCE lunar lander and TENACIOUS micro rover, is led by ispace Japan and is now scheduled for launch no earlier than January 2025. Mission 3, debuting the APEX 1.0 lunar lander, is led by ispace-U.S. and is expected to launch in 2026. Mission 6, which will utilize the Series 3 lander, currently being designed in Japan, is scheduled to be launched by 2027.
About ispace, inc. (https://ispace-inc.com)
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 business entities in Japan, Luxembourg, and the United States with more than 300 employees worldwide. For more information, visit: www.ispace-inc.com and follow us on X: @ispace_inc.