ispace Inc. (Chuo City, Tokyo; CEO: Takeshi Hakamada; hereinafter “ispace”) (Securities Code: 9348) announces that the contract with NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) and Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Inc. (hereinafter “Draper”), a nonprofit engineering and innovation company based in Massachusetts, U.S., regarding Task Order 'CP-12' under the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, has been mutually terminated as of July 9, 2026 (Mountain Time, U.S.).
Since July 2022, ispace-U.S. has operated under a subcontract with Draper to develop and prepare operations for a lunar lander to provide lunar delivery services under NASA’s CLPS program Task Order CP-12. Following NASA’s announcement of contract termination with Draper, the subcontract between ispace-U.S. and Draper is also expected to be mutually terminated.
In April 2026, NASA announced its implementation plan for the next-generation Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS 2.0) program. Under this new framework, NASA is expected to issue task orders more frequently, increasing opportunities for lunar landing missions. ispace-U.S. will strengthen collaboration with NASA through ongoing dialogue, submit proposals aligned with CLPS 2.0 requirements, and continue striving to contribute maximally to NASA-led Artemis program objectives, realizing lunar missions and creating the cis-lunar economy.
ispace and ispace-U.S. are developing landers and lunar infrastructure with the vision of creating a cis-lunar economy. In December 2022, ispace became the first private company to attempt a commercial lunar exploration mission. The company is currently developing a new lander model, 'ULTRA,' to support future missions for government and private customers, with the next lunar landing mission scheduled for 2028.
Statement from Elizabeth C. (Liz) Kryst, CEO of ispace-U.S.
"ispace-U.S. remains committed to delivering competitive, high-frequency, low-cost transportation services to the U.S. market. Building on our proven track record of lunar mission delivery and our integrated lander assembly, integration, and testing capabilities in Colorado, we possess unique strengths to meet customer needs. This reflects our long-term strategy to strengthen partnerships with U.S. government agencies, industry, and private enterprises to deliver industry-leading services."
About ispace Inc. (https://ispace-inc.com/jpn/)
ispace is a space startup with the vision of "Expand our planet. Expand our future. ~Extending humanity’s living sphere into space for a sustainable world.~" Operating from three global hubs in Japan, Luxembourg, and the United States, the company currently employs approximately 350 people. Founded in 2010, ispace managed HAKUTO, one of the five finalist teams in the Google Lunar XPRIZE competition. The company develops small landers (lunar landers) and rovers (lunar exploration vehicles) aimed at providing high-frequency, low-cost transportation and data services to the Moon. ispace aims to become a gateway for private businesses to operate on the Moon and is developing its Luna-Connect service, leveraging its own lunar orbiting satellites to provide communication and positioning services. In 2023, ispace executed Mission 1, becoming the first private company worldwide to attempt a lunar landing. In 2025, Mission 2 successfully demonstrated reliable transportation to lunar orbit, as well as lander attitude and guidance control functions. As early as 2027, Mission 2.5 plans to deploy one lunar orbiter into lunar orbit. In 2028i, the company plans to launch Mission 3 (formerly Mission 4), utilizing METI’s SBIR grant, with the ULTRA lander developed under leadership from its Japan hub. This will be followed by Mission 4 (formerly Mission 6) in 2029ii, targeting a high-precision landing near the lunar south pole.
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i The launch schedule mentioned above is based on plans as of July 2026 and is subject to change. The SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research) program theme “Development and Operational Demonstration of a Lunar Lander,” for which ispace was selected as a grant recipient, has a standard implementation period through FY2027. Initially, ispace had agreed with METI and the SBIR Secretariat on a 2027 launch for Mission 3 (formerly Mission 4). However, as of July 2026, internal development planning indicates a launch within 2028. This change is currently under discussion with relevant government agencies and the SBIR Secretariat, and final approval for the revised plan will be granted by METI.
ii As of July 2026
FACT BOX
- Source: PR TIMES
- Category: Partnership
- Organizations: NASA