ispace awarded grant for lunar polar landing technology

ispace announced on 2026-08-07 that a grant has been awarded for high-precision landing technology in the lunar polar regions. The listed funding is 11,600,000,000 JPY.

The announcement date is recorded as 2026-08-07, and the status is awarded grant. The funding amount is listed as 11,600,000,000 JPY.

The facts include a regulatory date of 2026-01-16 for the high-precision lunar polar landing technology.

The stated milestone is a precision landing close to the lunar south pole, with payload deployment in polar regions using lunar communication relay satellites.

Mission 3 has a 2028 launch date and is paired with an ULTRA lunar lander. An SBIR grant is listed for the ULTRA lunar lander.

Mission 4 has a 2029 launch date, an ULTRA lunar lander, and a landing site near the lunar south pole. Its milestone is to obtain stable, high-precision landing capability for that area.

Mission 4 is focused on advanced technology for long-term operation of the ispace lunar lander fleet, including survival through the lunar night. The payload listing includes a communications relay satellite, with its orbit given as lunar orbit.

The specified funding and milestone are tied to precision landing near the lunar south pole, with payload deployment supported by lunar communication relay satellites.

The facts contrast Missions 1 and 2, limited to lunar-day operations, with Mission 4's stated long-term operations and lunar night survival goal. The payload plan includes a communications relay satellite in lunar orbit.

Mission 3 is listed for launch in 2028 with an ULTRA lunar lander.

Mission 4 is listed for launch in 2029 with an ULTRA lunar lander and a target landing near the lunar south pole. Its listed milestones include stable high-precision landing capability, long-term operations including lunar night survival, and a communications relay satellite with lunar orbit.