Ispace, inc., a global lunar exploration company, and Orbital Space Satellite Services, LLC, a space development company based in the United Arab Emirates, have agreed to a mutual strategic cooperation to jointly promote and implement educational lunar missions involving student-developed payloads.
Based on the memorandum of understanding, Orbital Space will plan, operate and promote a global competition for university students to lead a mission to the Moon. ispace will provide technical evaluations of mission payloads entered in the competition, as well as transportation services to the Moon for selected payloads. To pay for the costs of transportation, Orbital Services will seek funding for the mission. Through the collaboration, both companies aim to contribute to the advancement of lunar exploration and the development of the next generation of space talent.
The United Arab Emirates has positioned space exploration as one of the pillars of its national space strategy, promoting talent development and the expansion of its industrial base through international cooperation. In particular, education and talent development for the younger generation is one of the leading priorities in its long-term space policy. The initiative between Orbital Space and ispace aligns with the UAE’s vision and supports the development of future engineers and scientists by providing students worldwide with practical space development experience.
In a statement of Takeshi Hakamada, Founder & CEO of ispace, said: “ispace has built a deep, cooperative relationship with the UAE, including collaborating with the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) to transport the Rashid rover on Mission 1 in 2023. We are very pleased that this agreement enables us to expand our collaboration with Orbital Space in the UAE. We look forward to contributing to the next generation of space talent through promotion of student-led lunar exploration missions.”
Dr Bassam Alfeeli, General Manager of Orbital Space, added: “Through our collaboration with ispace, we aim to bring the Moon closer to students in the UAE and around the world. They will gain opportunities to design and demonstrate scientific experiments on the lunar surface, transcending the confines of the classroom. This initiative is part of Orbital Space’s vision to realise a future where ‘access to space is available to everyone.’”
Orbital Space and ispace are expected to undertake joint efforts to promote the programme and future lunar missions with further details being released soon.
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