ispace is launching a lunar rideshare offering, with help from SpaceX.
The Japanese company announced Wednesday that it had secured 500 kg of payload capacity on Starship to launch no earlier than 2030.
Moon bus: ispace is looking to become an end-to-end lunar integrator to help entities deliver small payloads to the Moon, helping companies throughout the whole process including:
- Supporting global customers design their mission;
- Integrating payloads on an ispace spacecraft;
- Purchasing the ride on Starship;
- Installing the system onto Starship for launch;
- Deploying from SpaceX’s lander on the surface to begin operations after landing.
To do this, ispace is developing a Mobile Cargo System—a new spacecraft separate from its ULTRA lunar lander—to carry customers’ payloads to the Moon.
“High-capacity, relatively low-cost lunar transport, such as that provided by Starship, is essential to realizing the sustainable lunar economy that ispace aims to create,” ispace CEO Takeshi Hakamda said in a statement. “As a ‘Lunar Access Integrator,’ ispace aims to combine high-value-added lunar transport using its own landers with high-capacity transport opportunities utilizing Starship, serving as a gateway for customers around the world to access the Moon and carry out their missions.”
Fast friends: This isn’t ispace’s first rodeo with SpaceX—it’s HAKUTO-R Mission 1 and 2 launched aboard SpaceX Falcon 9 rockets in 2022 and 2025, respectively. However, both HAKUTO-R missions crash landed into the lunar surface.
With ULTRA, ispace has three more attempts planned, in 2028, 2029, and 2030.
What’s next: As demand for lunar transportation increases, the company will consider expanding the service to deliver larger payloads to the Moon—and transport them farther from the landing site.
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