ispace Books Space on SpaceX Starship to Deliver Larger Payloads to the Moon
Japanese lunar exploration company ispace has signed a commercial agreement with SpaceX to secure 500 kilograms of payload capacity aboard a future Starship lunar lander mission, targeting as early as 2030.
To make use of the Starship's massive cargo capacity, ispace is developing a Mobile Cargo System — a rover that will drive out of the Starship lander and deliver customer payloads to locations up to several kilometers away. ispace will be responsible for ground payload integration before launch and post-landing operations.
Takeshi Hakamada, founder and CEO of ispace, said that high-capacity, low-cost lunar transport is essential for building a sustainable lunar economy, and Starship fits that need. He framed ispace's evolving role as a "lunar access integrator" — offering both high-value-added transport via its own landers and high-capacity transport via Starship, serving as a gateway for customers worldwide.
The Starship deal does not replace ispace's own lander development plans. The company's first two landing attempts, in April 2023 and June 2025, both ended in crashes. In March, ispace unveiled a new unified lander design called Ultra, consolidating technologies from its Japanese and U.S. business units. Three Ultra missions are scheduled between 2028 and 2030.
Hakamada said the Mobile Cargo System could later be expanded to carry payloads exceeding one ton. Since ispace is one of several customers on the Starship mission, SpaceX will select the landing site, likely in the lunar south polar region — the planned location for the NASA-led lunar base.
The agreement extends a long-standing business relationship between the two companies. Both of ispace's previous lander missions were launched on SpaceX Falcon 9 rockets.
Further Reading
Original article: https://spacenews.com/ispace-to-send-larger-payloads-to-the-moon-on-spacexs-starship/