ispace, inc. and ArianeGroup have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to enhance cooperation in lunar spacecraft development and missions. The agreement was made on October 6, 2026, at the International Astronautical Congress in Antalya, Türkiye.
Read More
Key executives from both companies, including Markus Thiel and Timo Krone from ArianeGroup, and Takeshi Hakamada and Julien-Alexandre Lamamy from ispace, were present at the signing event. This collaboration will focus on incorporating ArianeGroup's propulsion and control systems into ispace's ULTRA lunar landers, along with assembly, integration, and testing services.
The MOU aims to explore broader opportunities outside the ULTRA program as both companies look to strengthen their partnership across various lunar missions in Japan, Europe, the United States, and additional markets. They plan to assess long-term commercial agreements to ensure stable production of lunar landers and maintain a consistent launch schedule.
This agreement builds on their previous collaborations, including work on propulsion components for ispace’s Mission 1 lunar lander at ArianeGroup’s facilities in Germany. The partnership also gained momentum in 2021 when the European Space Agency selected both companies to participate in a pilot initiative focused on lunar transportation and exploration.
Takeshi Hakamada, Founder and CEO of ispace, emphasized the importance of developing strong partnerships to enhance spacecraft production capabilities. He recognized ArianeGroup's extensive technical expertise as crucial for future lunar missions.
Julien-Alexandre Lamamy, CEO of ispace-EUROPE, highlighted the agreement as essential for strengthening Europe's position in the lunar economy. Meanwhile, Stefan Ziegenhagen from ArianeGroup noted the shared goal of combining technological excellence for lunar exploration.
Markus Abele from ArianeGroup described the MOU as a significant milestone in the partnership, expanding their collaboration into new areas.
ispace is focused on lunar resource development and aims to provide frequent and cost-effective lunar transport services and has operations in Japan, Luxembourg, and the U.S. ArianeGroup, jointly owned by Airbus and Safran, specializes in space and defense technologies, and recently reported revenues of €2.6 billion for 2025.