Astronomy and Space
Ispace Inc.
ispace Inc. is a publicly traded Japanese company developing robotic spacecraft and other technology to compete for both transportation and exploration mission contracts from space agencies and other private industries. ispace's mission is to enable its clients to discover, map, and use natural lunar resources. From 2013 to 2018, ispace was the owner and operator of the Hakuto team that competed in Google Lunar X Prize (GLXP). The team developed a lunar rover named Sorato. ispace is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, with offices in the United States and Luxembourg. The company's founder and CEO is Takeshi Hakamada. ispace's Hakuto-R program, supported by Japanese funding and partnered with American Draper Laboratory, aims to offer lunar transport and exploration. Hakuto-R Mission 1, launched in December 2022 carrying the Rashid rover, failed during its April 2023 landing attempt. Hakuto-R Mission 2, launched in January 2025 with the RESILIENCE lander and a UNESCO "memory disk," also failed to establish communication after its attempted landing in June 2025, suggesting a hard landing. Future lander missions, starting with Mission 3 in 2028, will focus on establishing high-frequency, cost-effective lunar transport and lunar water resource development.
Also on this shelf
13 Ceti.
Beta Arietis.
See also
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