10 Sep, 2024
Transported from Luxembourg by Japan Airlines
TOKYO – September 10, 2024 – ispace, inc. (ispace) (TOKYO: 9348) announced today that its TENACIOUS Lunar Micro rover, part of the “HAKUTO-R” Mission 2 scheduled for launch this winter, has arrived in Japan and is now integrated into the RESILIENCE lunar lander.
TENACIOUS was transported from ispace-EUROPE in Luxembourg to Japan by HAKUTO-R corporate partner Japan Airlines (JAL).
(From left, ispace’s Atsushi Saiki, Takeshi Hakamada, Axiom’s Koichi Wakata, JAL’s Takao Suzuki, and JALEC’s Hiroki Haraikawa
The announcement was made with JAL at a press conference on Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024, in the “JAL SKY MUSEUM” part of Haneda Airport’s new maintenance area, with a close view of the runway, following the completion of the rover’s transportation.
At the event, ispace Founder & CEO Takeshi Hakamada, ispace CRO Atsushi Saiki, JAL Senior Vice President Innovation Takao Suzuki, and JALEC Board Director, Vice President Marketing & Sales Department Hiroki Haraikawa, took the stage, and Axiom Space Astronaut and Chief Technology Officer Asia Pacific Koichi Wakata was invited as a guest for a panel discussion on the theme of “Challenges of Private Companies in Space Development.
The flight model of the TENACIOUS lunar micro rover, developed in Luxembourg where ispace EUROPE S.A., the European subsidiary of ispace is based, was completed and shipped to Japan. The rover is now at the Tsukuba Space Center of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). After landing on the Moon, the micro rover will be deployed to the lunar surface and begin its self-propelled lunar exploration.
At the event, video footage of the rover’s arrival at Haneda Airport by a JAL aircraft from Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris with the cooperation of JAL was shown. JAL’ has been a corporate partner in the HAKUTO-R program over the past nine years through technical cooperation, including the welding of the propulsion and fuel system for the lander.
(From left ispace’s Takeshi Hakamada, Axiom’s Koichi Wakata, and JAL’s Takao Suzuki)
Koichi Wakata, who participated in the panel discussion, recalled that his experience as an aircraft maintenance engineer at JAL had been “very useful after becoming an astronaut” and commented that “ispace’s activities are very important for the advancement of human space activities, and I would like to support them.” Mr. Takao Suzuki, who promotes space business development in the JAL Innovation, said, “All of us in the JAL Group are sincerely supporting the success of ispace’s Mission 2.
“ispace is committed to ensuring the success of Mission 2 to promote the establishment of the Cislunar economy, which is our mid-to long-term goal, said Takeshi Hakamada, Founder & CEO of ispace. Regarding the experience gained from the partnership with JAL, he said, “I think it is important that we continue to work together to find synergies that will have an impact not only for us, but also for the private space industry in the future,” and expressed his expectations for the future development of the space industry as a whole.”
About Japan Airlines:
Japan Airlines (JAL), Japan’s first private aviation company, was established in 1951 and is a member of the oneworld Alliance. The airline operates a fleet of 227 aircraft (as of March 2024) and began renewing its international long-haul aircraft with the Airbus A350-1000 starting 2023 Winter Schedule. Together with other JAL Group and partner airlines, JAL offers an extensive domestic and international network that serves 384 airports across 66 countries/regions. The airline has received numerous accolades for its exceptional service, including being recognized as a certified 5-Star Airline by Skytrax and being awarded the prestigious “World Class” Airline title by APEX, the Airline Passenger Experience Association. The airline is dedicated to ensuring the highest standards of flight safety and overall service quality, striving to be the most preferred airline by customers worldwide.
For details and to learn more, visit JAL’s official website at https://www.jal.com/en/.
About ispace
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 offices in Japan, Luxembourg, and the United States with more than 250 employees worldwide. For more information, visit: www.ispace-inc.com and follow us on X: @ispace_inc.
About HAKUTO-R
HAKUTO-R is a commercial lunar exploration program that includes ispaceʼs first two lunar missions. Developed its own lander and rover and completed its launch of Mission 1 (lunar landing mission) on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, and Mission 2 (lunar exploration mission) is planned to launch in Winter 2024.
HAKUTO-R’s corporate partners include Japan Airlines Corporation, Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Company, Limited, Niterra Co., Ltd., Citizen Watch Co., Ltd., SUZUKI MOTOR CORPORATION, Takasago Thermal Engineering Co., Ltd., Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, SMBC Nikko Securities Inc., Sky Co., Ltd., Epiroc AB