ispace launched its lunar claim in November • TechCrunch


Tokyo-based startup iSpace’s lunar ambitions will soon be put to the test.

The startup will attempt to send the “Hakuto-R” lander to the surface of the moon to begin the ambitious lunar exploration program of the same name. In the year Founded in 2010, iSpace is one of many new companies looking to develop new markets on and around the moon. On its website, it described its goal as “a gateway for private sector companies to bring their jobs to the moon.”

With increasing demand for lunar exploration from both government space agencies and private companies, partnering in lunar middle- and last-mile supply can be profitable. But there’s more than just distant earnings at stake in this startup; According to recent reports, iSpace is preparing to list on the Tokyo Stock Exchange early this fiscal year.

While the company previously targeted a launch window of November 9 to 15, iSpace announced on Monday that it now plans to launch earlier than November 22. The new date was chosen in “careful coordination” with the launch, SpaceX, the launch said in a statement. iSpace founder and CEO Takeshi Hakamada confirmed that the Earth lander had arrived early in a cargo plane to Cape Canaveral, Florida.

The Space Lander is being loaded onto a cargo plane. Image Credits: Ispace

“This mission will be a historic first not only for our company, but also for the development of the cislunar economy,” Hakamada said.

If all goes to plan, Hakuto-R will carry several payloads to the lunar surface. These include a 22-pound rover for the UAE’s Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center, a lunar robot for the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, and several others from commercial and government customers. After launch, the mission will be monitored from the company’s Mission Control Center in Tokyo.



Source link

Related posts

Leave a Comment

eighteen − eleven =