Japan’s ispace: Pioneering Lunar Communication and Exploration with Microsatellites

Japan’s ispace has announced plans for a satellite communications system around the Moon. The company recently secured a $45 million loan to fund three upcoming lander missions on its manifest. Ispace’s US subsidiary is collaborating with American firm Draper in a consortium that won a $73 million NASA CLPS contract to land scientific payloads on the far side of the Moon in 2026. As part of this mission, ispace will place two microsatellites built by Blue Canyon Technologies into lunar orbit to provide continuous contact between the lander and controllers on Earth.

Ispace hopes to offer connectivity as a service to future lunar missions once the CLPS mission is complete. Other companies, such as Lockheed Martin subsidiary Crescent and Intuitive Machines, are also planning to build orbiting communications networks around the Moon. Ispace is set to launch its second lander to the Moon in the fourth quarter of this year, equipped with a micro-rover to collect regolith samples for the European Space Agency. Their first attempt to reach the Moon a year ago was unsuccessful due to faulty software.

In addition to debt and equity financing, diverse funding sources such as contract revenue and SBIR grants are crucial for ispace’s operations, emphasized CEO Takeshi Hakamada during a February earnings call. In terms of Japan’s involvement in lunar missions, NASA has an agreement with the Japanese government to send JAXA astronauts to the Moon in exchange for a pressurized lunar rover. NASA will procure the rocket to transport Japan’s rover