10 Mar, 2025
TOKYO–March 10, 2025–ispace, inc. (ispace) )(TOKYO: 9348), a global lunar exploration company, and Kurita Water Industries, Ltd., a Japanese water treatment facility and chemical manufacturer, today announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding for payload transportation services aimed at demonstrating a future lunar water processing test device on the lunar surface.
Kurita Water Industries has participated as a HAKUTO-R corporate partner since November 2024. At that time, the two companies agreed to build a stronger partnership and collaborate on future missions to equip lunar landers with water processing systems for use in space. This agreement memorializes cooperation to transport a water processing system to the lunar surface to conduct demonstration tests on an ispace lunar mission after 2027.
Kurita Water Industries is providing ultra-pure water used in the lunar water electrolysis device developed by Takasago Thermal Engineering Co., Ltd. The water was produced using a super-pure water system designed for use in space, utilizing the company’s water treatment technology developed over many years. The device containing the water is installed on the RESILIENCE lunar lander operated as part of ispace’s “SMBC x HAKUTO-R Venture Moon Mission 2. Demonstrating this technology will enable a significant reduction in the cost of transporting water from Earth and will contribute to the advancement of the cislunar economy.
“The signing of this memorandum is another example of how ispace is providing opportunities to companies like Kurita Water Industries to conduct demonstration experiments on the Moon, in this case to purify water. We hope that this activity will be the first step towards the efficient recycling of lunar resources, and that it will lead to the realization of economically sustainable activities on the Moon,” said Takeshi Hakamada, Founder & CEO of ispace.
“The conclusion of this memorandum of understanding will provide a solid path for our company to expand the ‘knowledge of water’ that we have cultivated through water treatment on the ground and at the International Space Station (ISS) to the lunar economy. We will work together with ispace to achieve the realization of a sustainable society in space, and we will accelerate our efforts towards demonstration tests on the lunar surface,” said Hiroyuki Suzuki, General Manager of the Innovation Headquarters, Kurita Water Industries Ltd.
Currently, ispace is actively operating the SMBC x HAKUTO-R Venture Moon Mission 2 and has achieved 5 of the 10 mission milestones. Most recently, the RESILIENCE lunar lander successfully completed a flyby of the Moon on Feb. 15, 2025, reaching its closest point to the lunar surface at 22:43 UTC, Feb. 14, 2025. It has navigated to a point 1.1 million km from Earth. RESILIENCE is currently scheduled to land on the Moon on June 6, 2025 (JST).
Future Missions
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, featuring the RESILIENCE lunar lander and led by ispace Japan, launched on Jan. 15, 2025, completed a lunar flyby on Feb. 15, 2025, and is currently traveling to the Moon. During the mission, the TENACIOUS micro rover will be deployed on the lunar surface to conduct a technological demonstration of regolith extraction as well as mobility on the lunar surface. Mission 3, debuting the APEX 1.0 lunar lander, is led by ispace-U.S. and is expected to launch in 2026. The company’s fourth mission, which will utilize the Series 3 lander, currently being designed in Japan, is scheduled to be launched by 2027.
About ispace
ispace, a global lunar exploration 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.