17 Oct, 2024
MILAN – October 17, 2024 –ispace, inc. (ispace) (TOKYO: 9348), a global lunar exploration company, and HEX20Labs India Private Limited (HEX20), an Indian small satellite company, have reached an agreement for a future cubesat deployment into lunar orbit, the two companies announced today at the IAF’s International Astronautical Congress 2024, held in Milan, Italy.
Image: Takeshi Hakamada (l) Founder & CEO of ispace, with Lloyd Jacob Lopez (r), Co-Founder and CEO of HEX20, in front of a replica of the APEX 1.0 lunar lander at the IAC2024 in Milan, Italy.
The memorandum of understanding signed by both companies serves as an initial framework for negotiations on a mission that envisions the delivery and deployment of a HEX20 cubesat to orbit around the Moon by an ispace lunar lander. In October 2023, ispace, signed memorandum of understanding with Skyroot Aerospace Private Limited, which successfully launched India’s first privately developed rocket into space, and HEX20 to collaborate on development of future lunar satellite missions.
“Standardization of satellite and its interfaces are essential to accelerate cis-lunar space activities and lunar cubesats will play an important role” said Takeshi Hakamada, Founder & CEO of ispace. “We are excited to start collaboration with HEX20 to realize such concept together”
“We are thrilled to embark on this collaboration with ispace, marking a significant step forward in expanding our reach beyond Earth’s orbit.“ said Lloyd Jacob Lopez, Co-Founder and CEO of HEX20. “The deployment of our cubesat into lunar orbit represents a milestone in HEX20’s mission to provide reliable and cost-effective satellite platforms for diverse missions. This partnership will not only advance lunar exploration but also set the stage for future opportunities in cis-lunar space activities.”
ispace is leveraging its global presence through its three business units in Japan, the U.S., and Luxembourg, for the simultaneous development of upcoming missions. Mission 2 is led by ispace Japan. Mission 3, debuting the APEX 1.0 lunar lander, is led by ispace-U.S. and is expected to launch in 2026. Mission 6, which will utilize the Series 3 lander, currently being designed in Japan, is scheduled to be launched by 2027.
To meet a growing demand from government, commercial, and educational organizations from around the globe, and in particular the Indo-Pacific region, ispace is negotiating with customers to provide payload service contracts and data services for ispace’s Mission 3 and beyond.
About HEX20Labs India Private Limited
HEX20 is an innovative small satellite company based in India, UAE and Australia, that provides cost-effective platforms, customized hardware and advanced sensor technology for the cubesat and small satellite markets. HEX20 aims to provide solutions for the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and cislunar markets, making these high-quality hardware platforms more intelligent and reliable for commercial, defense, and academic applications, cost-effective, reliable, and easy to use. For more information, visit: https://hex20.in/
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 business entities in Japan, Luxembourg, and the United States with approximately 300 employees worldwide. For more information, visit: www.ispace-inc.com and follow us on X: @ispace_inc.