Akihabara News (Tokyo) — The Japanese space industry startup ispace has unveiled its “Series 2” lunar lander, which will have the capacity to carry bigger payloads to the Moon.
Standing at approximately 3.5 meters tall and 4.2 meters wide, including its legs, the Series 2 is larger in both size and customer payload design capacity than ispace’s first-generation lander model, Series 1, which the company is developing for its first and second missions.
That means that the Series 2 will not be utilized until the first half of 2024 at the earliest.
The Series 2 is designed to deliver payloads to both lunar orbit and the lunar surface. The lander has a payload design capacity to deliver up to 500 kilograms to the lunar surface. For missions where payloads are exclusively for lunar orbit, capacity can be up to 2,000 kilograms.
The Series 2 also aims to be one of the first commercial lunar landers capable of surviving the lunar night, and it is designed to have the ability to land on either the near side or far side of the Moon, including the polar regions.
The lander’s guidance, navigation, and control includes precision landing technologies said to be capable of ensuring extraordinary accuracy during descent, including hazard avoidance.
Takeshi Hakamada, Founder and CEO, ispace, commented, “As we look to the near future, Series 2 will enable us to not only increase our capabilities, but also to provide greater access and opportunities for our customers. Series 2 is a positive step toward realizing a diverse and sustainable cislunar ecosystem.”
Kursten O’Neill, the ispace US lander program director, added, “I couldn’t be prouder of our team for what we have accomplished with this lander… this vehicle will truly be a game changer. Due to its ability to adapt to a wide range of customers, after its debut for our third mission, we expect the Series 2 lander to service the market for several years and several missions to come.”
ispace is said to be well along in its preparations for its first lunar mission, using the Series 1 lander, which is supposed to take place sometime next year.
ispace is a Japanese lunar exploration startup that now employs over 150 staff in Japan, Europe, and the United States. The company has raised a total cumulative funding of approximately US$195 million.
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