KDDI Invests in Next-Generation Space Company "ispace" to Pursue the Commercialization of Lunar Resource Development

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  • KDDI CORPORATION

December 13,2017

KDDI CORPORATION (Headquarters: Chiyoda, Tokyo, President: Takashi Tanaka) and ispace (Headquarters: Minato, Tokyo, CEO and Founder: Takeshi Hakamada), a next-generation space company pursuing the commercialization of lunar resource development, announce that they have signed a capital and business alliance agreement in which KDDI will provide communications technology support for ispace's lunar resource development project for the purpose of further improving applicable communications technologies in the space field.

Through its official partner agreement with "HAKUTO", the first Japanese private lunar exploration team which is managed by ispace, KDDI has been supporting the world's first lunar survey by a private company through the application of its accumulated ICT and communications technology knowledge to the joint development of a communications system for HAKUTO.

ispace is the first private Japanese company to initiate lunar exploration missions to "orbit the moon" and "land on the moon" using an independently developed lunar module. ispace plans to launch the independently developed lunar module twice by the end of 2020. Mission 1, scheduled for the end of 2019, will inject the module into a lunar orbit to conduct a lunar survey. Mission 2, scheduled for the end of 2020, will have the module make a soft landing on the moon and deploy a rover to explore the surface.

The current capital and business alliance will enable KDDI to support ispace's future business growth from a communications technology perspective as well as further enhance the communications technologies which can be applied to space exploration.

ispace Overview

  • Company name:
    ispace
  • Address:
    Iikura Katamachi Annex 6F, 3-1-6 Azabu-dai, Minato, Tokyo
  • Representative:
    CEO and Founder Takeshi Hakamada
  • Date founded:
    September 2010
  • Business activities:
    Lunar resource development project
  • URL:
    Open link in a new windowhttp://ispace-inc.com/
  • The information contained in the news releases is current at the time of publication. Products, service fees,service content and specifications, contact information, and other details are subject to change without notice.