18 Oct, 2024
Ron Garan, CEO of ispace-U.S., Sam Ximenes, Founder and CEO of Astroport, and Takeshi Hakamada, Founder and CEO of ispace inc.
Milan – October 18, 2024 – ispace technologies U.S., inc. (ispace-U.S.), an American lunar exploration company, and Astroport Space Technologies Inc. (Astroport), a space construction and materials manufacturing company, have reached an agreement for a future deployment of Astroport’s scientific instruments for its lunar regolith research. The two companies announced it today at the 75th International Astronautical Congress.
The memorandum of understanding signed by both companies serves as an initial framework for negotiations on missions that envision the delivery and deployment of Astroport’s scientific instruments to the lunar surface by the APEX 1.0 lander.
Astroport is developing patent-pending regolith solidification technologies for lunar infrastructure construction using 3D printing and autonomous robotics, with an initial focus on lunar landing pad emplacements.
“The agreement between Astroport and ispace-U.S. fosters a collaborative effort to establish a cislunar economy,” said Ron Garan, Chief Executive Officer of ispace-U.S. “We look forward to hosting additional commercial payloads on future missions to bolster the growth of the U.S. aerospace industry.”
“Understanding how to build infrastructure on the Moon with in-situ resources begins with acquiring a comprehensive understanding of the scientific properties of lunar regolith at the granular level,” said Sam Ximenes, Chief Executive Officer of Astroport Space Technologies. We are pleased to collaborate with ispace-U.S.’s future mission as a lunar transportation provider for the delivery of our science instruments for regolith investigations.
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. Astroport also has a global business profile, with research operations in the U.S., Australia, and Luxembourg
About Astroport Space Technologies Inc.
Astroport Space Technologies Inc. is a space construction and materials manufacturing company turning planetary resources into durable feedstock for autonomous construction of lunar and Mars surface infrastructure. Headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, Astroport was founded with a vision to design, deploy, and operate interplanetary landing ports to facilitate safe, reliable, and efficient spaceflights to the Moon, Mars and beyond. Astroport is a deep tech startup founded in 2020, operating as a technology venture arm of Exploration Architecture Corporation (XArc), a space architecture consulting design and engineering firm established in 2007.
About ispace technologies U.S.
ispace – U.S. is an American lunar exploration company providing transportation and infrastructure capabilities from Earth to lunar orbit and the surface of the Moon for government and commercial customers. ispace believes that the utilization of lunar resources is the catalyst for enabling human permanence and economic opportunity on and around the Moon and is committed to achieving this goal. The company’s U.S. headquarters serves as the central location for the development of its APEX 1.0 lunar lander, which is being designed, manufactured, and launched in the United States. In partnership with Draper, this lander will deliver a suite of NASA-sponsored science payloads to the lunar surface as part of the NASA Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) Initiative.