The Mobile Cargo System ispace is developing will use SpaceX’s Starship lunar lander to deliver payloads larger than what its own landers can accommodate. Credit: ispace
TOKYO — Japanese lunar exploration company ispace is buying space on a future Starship lunar lander mission to deliver larger payloads to the moon.
The company announced at a briefing here July 8, held in conjunction with the Spacetide conference, that it is developing a Mobile Cargo System that will fly on a Starship lander as soon as 2030 to deliver up to several hundred kilograms of customer payloads.
The Mobile Cargo System is a rover that ispace will develop to carry payloads from the Starship lander up to a few kilometers away. The company will be responsible for integrating the payloads on the ground before launch and their operations after landing.
For the first mission, ispace has purchased 500 kilograms of payload space on a SpaceX Starship lunar lander scheduled to fly no earlier than 2030. The companies did not disclose financial details of the agreement.
