Ispace technologies

ispace Inc. is a Japanese publicly traded company focused on developing robotic spacecraft technology to provide lunar transportation and exploration services. Founded in September 2010 by Takeshi Hakamada, the company aims to establish a high-frequency, low-cost delivery service to the Moon. The firm's long-term vision is to discover, map, and utilize lunar resources, particularly water ice, to support a future cislunar economy and a permanently staffed lunar colony.

The company's origins trace back to the Google Lunar XPRIZE competition, where it managed the HAKUTO team from 2013 to 2018. Inspired by "Star Wars," founder Takeshi Hakamada earned a Master's degree in Aerospace Engineering from Georgia Tech before working at a management consulting firm. He founded White Label Space Japan LLC in 2010, the predecessor to ispace, and led the HAKUTO team part-time before committing to ispace full-time and leading it to a successful listing on the Tokyo Stock Exchange in April 2023.

ispace's business model is centered on three core services: Payload Delivery, Data Collection, and Partnerships. It provides transportation for customer payloads, such as scientific instruments and rovers, to the lunar surface aboard its landers. The company also plans to use its own rovers to collect and sell valuable lunar data to government space agencies, research institutions, and private companies. The partnership program offers marketing collaborations and technology development opportunities. Its client base includes NASA, for which it is contracted to deliver payloads under the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, and other private and public sector organizations.

The company's primary product is its line of lunar landers and rovers developed under the HAKUTO-R commercial lunar exploration program. The program's first mission, Hakuto-R Mission 1, launched in December 2022 but ultimately failed during its landing attempt in April 2023. Similarly, Hakuto-R Mission 2, which launched in January 2025, also failed to establish communication after its landing attempt. Future missions, such as Mission 3 scheduled for 2026, will utilize the new APEX 1.0 lander and focus on establishing reliable lunar transport and advancing towards lunar water resource development.

Keywords: lunar exploration, payload delivery, space resources, robotic spacecraft, cislunar economy, lunar lander, lunar rover, HAKUTO-R, Takeshi Hakamada, space transportation, commercial space, lunar data, CLPS, Japan aerospace, moon mission, resource utilization, space exploration services, robotic exploration, lunar logistics, sustainable space development