4 Dec, 2024
TOKYO –December 4, 2024 – ispace, inc. (ispace) )(TOKYO: 9348), a global lunar exploration company, and ONDO Space LLC (ONDO Space), the first private space technology company in Mongolia, have reached an agreement to establish a general framework for “Strategic Collaboration” on a future lunar program in Mongolia, the two companies announced at 11th Japan-Mongolia Government and Business Sector Joint Committee held in Ulaanbaatar on Nov. 28, 2024.
Photo taken at 11th Japan-Mongolia Government and Business Sector Joint Committee in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
From left: Head of Foreign Relations and Cooperation Department, Jargalsuren.B, CEO of ONDO Space, Namuun Bold, Senior Manager of Business Development Division of ispace, Masayuki Urata, and Executive Vice President of Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), Tomohiro Takashima
According to the memorandum of understanding, the two companies intend to carry out a joint feasibility study on a future lunar program in Mongolia to envision expansion of space activities in the cislunar region. ONDO has a capability to create a constellation of cubesats in the Low Earth Orbit, and to build ground stations. The company is interested in operating its cubesats in lunar orbit by collaborating with ispace.
“This agreement is the first step in a new challenge to promote space development by collaborating space technology startup companies from Japan and Mongolia together. I look forward to the day when this strategic collaboration will contribute to the future lunar mission as well as strengthening of public-private partnership between Japan and Mongolia,” said Takeshi Hakamada, Founder & CEO of ispace.
“We are delighted to partner with ispace to advance the world’s exploration of the moon, the cislunar area, with a distinctly Mongolian impact. We see this as an opportunity to not only further our nation’s space development, exploration, and aerospace capacity building; but also to add Mongolian perspective and impact rooted in nomadic culture and engineering expertise to the global lunar movement. This is the doorway for Mongolia to make a mark on the moon for the same industries and cultural uniqueness that we are well known for on earth,” said Namuun Bold, CEO of ONDO Space.
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 and is now scheduled for launch no earlier than January 2025. 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.
About ONDO Space LLC (www.ondospace.com)
ONDO Space is Mongolia’s premier space tech company with a global mission to provide affordable and equitable satellite connectivity to the world. Founded by Japanese-educated Space Technology PhD Mongolians in 2022, ONDO Space launched Mongolia’s first commercial satellites on the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in March 2024. With 10 more cube-satellites launching this year, the company is on track to build a comprehensive constellation of 176 by 2027 as part of its multi-part technology ecosystem. The company has global operations in Mongolia, the US, and soon in Japan. For more information, visit www.ondospace.com.
About ispace, inc. (https://ispace-inc.com)
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 more than 300 employees worldwide. For more information, visit: www.ispace-inc.com and follow us on X: @ispace_inc.