Key facts
- ispace will use SpaceX's Starship rocket for a new lunar cargo business.
- The service aims to provide lower-cost rides to the moon for clients worldwide.
- ispace has purchased 500 kg of capacity on a Starship mission targeting 2030.
- The company plans to develop a lunar surface vehicle to host client payloads.
- This new service complements ispace's existing development of dedicated lunar landers.
Japanese moon transport company ispace announced on Wednesday it will launch a new, lower-cost lunar cargo business utilizing SpaceX's Starship heavy rocket and moon lander. The Tokyo-based firm has purchased 500 kg of capacity for $50 million on a Starship mission scheduled to land on the moon as early as 2030.
ispace will develop a lunar surface vehicle to host payloads from international clients, effectively offering shared rides on Starship to the moon. This new service, described as a 'lunar access integrator,' aims to complement ispace's ongoing development of dedicated lunar landers, referred to as 'taxis.'
Previously, ispace used SpaceX's Falcon 9 rockets for unsuccessful lunar touchdown attempts in 2023 and 2025. The company's current objective is to achieve soft landings for three of its 'Ultra' landers by 2030, including a mission as part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services program.
According to ispace CEO Takeshi Hakamada, this collaboration with SpaceX will 'exponentially' accelerate the company's growth in the lunar infrastructure market. SpaceX expressed enthusiasm for expanding its relationship with ispace, highlighting Starship's potential for lunar and eventual Martian missions.
Stephanie Bednarek, SpaceX's vice president of commercial sales, stated that ispace's integration services provide a valuable pathway for smaller payloads to access the moon. The relationship is not exclusive, as NASA plans to use Starship's first lunar landing in 2028 for its Artemis program, and U.S. lunar rover startup Astrolab has also secured space on a future Starship flight. Hakamada noted that SpaceX initially proposed the integrator business idea.