EL SEGUNDO, Calif. / DENVER—September 17, 2026— ispace technologies U.S. (ispace-U.S.), a subsidiary of ispace, inc. (ispace) (TOKYO: 9348), a global lunar exploration company, and Argo Space Corp. (Argo) executed a definitive agreement under which Argo will deliver ispace’s Lunar Connect communication relay satellite to lunar orbit.
This signing finalizes the agreement the two companies announced in March 2026 and clears the way for the mission, ispace Mission 2.5, to launch as early as 2027.
The satellite, named Alpine after the imagery of the Colorado Rocky Mountains just outside ispace’s U.S. headquarters, will become the first orbital asset in ispace’s Lunar Connect Service, a planned constellation providing communications and positioning services across the lunar surface and lunar orbit. Argo will transport the satellite to lunar orbit using its Argonaut water-powered space logistics vehicle. Argonaut is uniquely architected to provide next-generation mobility and responsive, affordable delivery of customer assets to any orbit, including cislunar space.
ispace’s Lunar Connect Service will employ a constellation of at least five satellites orbiting the Moon to provide communication, positioning, observation, and Space Situational Awareness (SSA) for customers seeking to engage in the cislunar economy. The remaining satellites are expected to be deployed into lunar orbit by 2030. ispace plans to utilize a variety of methods for the transportation of lunar orbit satellites, including its own lunar landers and orbital transfer vehicles (“OTVs”), as well as third-party transportation services such as those provided by Argo.
ispace-U.S. is an American lunar exploration company based in Englewood, Colo. It provides transportation services to the lunar surface and lunar orbit as well as infrastructure capabilities for government, academic, and commercial customers.
With NASA’s recent announcement of IGNITION and its plans to develop a Moon Base as a central component of the agency’s Artemis program, ispace-U.S. is positioning itself to acquire future Commercial Lunar Payload Service (CLPS) task orders from NASA, as well as private payload service contracts to support the operations near the lunar South Pole. Based on its proven spaceflight heritage; extensive mission control operations; and assembly, integration, and testing (AIT) experience, ispace and ispace-U.S. intend to lead the development of a vibrant cislunar economy that connects the Earth and the Moon.
Statement of Elizabeth Kryst, CEO of ispace-U.S.
“The lunar economy will be built on infrastructure, and infrastructure starts with the first asset in orbit. This mission allows us to deploy our first Lunar Connect satellite and deliver communications and positioning services around the Moon. Argo’s transportation capabilities let us move faster as activity on and around the Moon accelerates,” said Elizabeth Kryst, CEO of ispace-U.S.
Statement of Robert Carlisle, CEO of Argo Space Crop.
“This mission exemplifies how commercial companies can collaborate to increase access to the Moon in support of both commercial applications and NASA’s ambitious Lunar programs. This is a meaningful step toward the affordable, high-throughput logistics network needed to enable and catalyze a Lunar economy. Argo is proud to support ispace with our transportation service. This mission will provide a strong demonstration of how Argo’s multi-modal transportation model can support the next generation of space infrastructure and capabilities.”
About ispace-U.S.
ispace-U.S. is an American lunar exploration company providing transportation and infrastructure capabilities from Earth to lunar orbit and the surface of the Moon for government and commercial customers. ispace believes that the utilization of lunar resources is the catalyst for enabling human permanence and economic opportunity on and around the Moon and is committed to achieving this goal.
For more information, follow us on LinkedIn and X: @ispace_us_inc
About Argo
Argo Space designs, builds, and operates high-performance, refuellable spacecraft that deliver customer assets to any orbit and provide unprecedented mobility on orbit. Argo’s vehicles run on water — launched from Earth today, sourced from the Moon tomorrow — to power an in-space logistics system that will catalyze a Lunar economy and the industrial space age. Argo is headquartered in El Segundo, California. For more information, visit www.argospace.com.