Akihabara News (Tokyo) – Japan-based startup ispace announced successful fundraising for its second mission to the Moon.
ispace, the lunar exploration firm, recently held a fundraising round for the development of lunar landers that will be used to establish a high-frequency delivery service to the Moon.
The company managed to raise over US$195 million. The lead investor, Incubate Fund, the largest early stage focused venture capital firm in the nation, pledged US$46 million in support of the company’s mission.
ispace is currently building a lunar lander flight model in Germany that will be used in its second lunar mission, which it hopes to launch in 2023. Funds will also be funneled into developing a larger lunar lander for the third lunar mission, earmarked for a 2024 deployment.
ispace CEO Takeshi Hakamada states that his firm is “honored that our investors share our vision to develop a lunar ecosystem that contributes to a more sustainable world. There are an increasing number of stakeholders entering this ecosystem from the development and investment side. We continue to welcome many new players to create this new industry together.”
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