MOU establishes framework for cooperation on ULTRA lunar lander propulsion and AIT services, and explores expanded collaboration for future lunar spacecraft and missions
Türkiye—October 6, 2026—ispace, inc. (ispace) (TOKYO: 9348), a global lunar exploration company, and ArianeGroup, a French-German leader in space technology, have agreed to explore expanded cooperation supporting ispace’s current and future lunar spacecraft and missions. The two companies signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on October 6 at the IAF’s International Astronautical Congress 2026 in Antalya, Türkiye.
Markus Thiel, Head of Engineering and Design at ArianeGroup GmbH, Timo Krone, Senior Business Development Manager at ArianeGroup GmbH, Dr. Stefan Ziegenhagen, Head of Orbital Products, Equipment & Services of ArianeGroup GmbH, Takeshi Hakamada, Founder & CEO of ispace, inc., Julien-Alexandre Lamamy, CEO of ispace-EUROPE, and Elizabeth Kryst, CEO of ispace-U.S., following the signing of the MOU at the 77th International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Antalya, Türkiye.
Building on ArianeGroup’s extensive flight heritage and experience in space systems, ispace has selected ArianeGroup pulsing thrusters and reaction control system (RCS) thruster hardware for integration into its ULTRA lunar landers. ArianeGroup is also contracted to provide related assembly, integration, and testing (AIT) services in support of the development.
Through the MOU, ispace and ArianeGroup intend to explore new opportunities to expand their collaboration beyond the ULTRA lander program. With ispace-EUROPE and ispace-U.S. as co-signatories, the agreement is expected to fortify current and future ispace missions in Japan, Europe, the United States, and other mutually agreed markets.
The companies will also evaluate long-term commercial agreements aimed at supporting stable lander production and enabling ispace’s targeted launch cadence. Through these arrangements, ispace and ArianeGroup aim to work together to further improve mutual lead times, reliability, and quality, and delivering consistent customer value as ispace continues to enrich its capabilities and offerings for future lunar missions.
The agreement builds on a longstanding relationship between ispace and ArianeGroup, including collaboration on propulsion components and assembly, integration, and testing for ispace’s Mission 1 lunar lander at ArianeGroup’s facility in Lampoldshausen, Germany. In 2021, ispace-EUROPE and ArianeGroup were also jointly selected by the European Space Agency (ESA) to participate in a pilot phase aimed at establishing commercial partnerships for lunar transportation and exploration.
Through this expanded collaboration, ispace and ArianeGroup aim to leverage their respective capabilities and experience to support reliable spacecraft development and production, while exploring opportunities to work together across future lunar missions and spacecraft programs.
Statement of Takeshi Hakamada, Founder & CEO of ispace, inc.
“As ispace works toward a regular cadence of missions to the Moon, establishing strong, long-term relationships with experienced partners will be essential to scaling our spacecraft development and production capabilities. ArianeGroup brings extensive flight heritage and technical expertise, and we look forward to exploring how our respective capabilities can support not only the ULTRA lunar lander, but future ispace spacecraft and missions from our global organization,” said Takeshi Hakamada, Founder & CEO, ispace, inc.
Statement of Julien-Alexandre Lamamy, CEO of ispace-EUROPE
“This agreement is an important step toward strengthening Europe’s role in the lunar economy. At ispace-Europe, we are committed to building strong industrial partnerships that advance Europe’s lunar ambitions. By combining our expertise, we can accelerate the delivery of competitive technologies and services for lunar exploration”
Statement of Stefan Ziegenhagen, Head of Orbital Products, Equipments & Services of ArianeGroup GmbH
“The Orbital Propulsion Team from ArianeGroup is thrilled to continue the cooperation with ispace. This MoU reinforces the trusted relationship between our companies and underscores our common goal: combining technological excellence with the vision to explore the moon.”
Statement of Markus Abele, Sr. Business Dev. Manager of ArianeGroup GmbH
“This agreement marks a major new chapter in the relationship between our two companies. After eight successful years working together on cutting-edge technologies, we are expanding the collaboration in the area of future size lander systems as well as orbital applications.”
About ispace, inc. (https://ispace-inc.com)
ispace, a global lunar resource development company with the vision, “Expand our planet. Expand our future.”, specializes in designing and building lunar landers and rovers. ispace aims to extend the sphere of human life into space and create a sustainable world by providing high-frequency, low-cost transportation services to the Moon. The company has business entities in Japan, Luxembourg, and the United States with more than 300 employees worldwide. For more information, visit: www.ispace-inc.com and follow us on X: @ispace_inc.
About ArianeGroup
ArianeGroup is an industrial company delivering critical missions for the space and defence sectors. With 8,700 highly qualified employees in France and Germany, ArianeGroup has unique expertise in access to space, covering the full spectrum of civil and military launch systems, including design, development, manufacturing, integration, flight preparation, operational readiness and end-of-life decommissioning.
ArianeGroup is lead contractor for the Ariane 6 European launcher for the European Space Agency (ESA), and for the French oceanic deterrent force M51 strategic missile for the French Defence Armament Procurement Agency (DGA). Internationally recognised for its innovative, competitive solutions, ArianeGroup has expertise in state-of-the-art technologies, from the chemistry of propellants and composite materials, to liquid, solid and electric space propulsion systems.
ArianeGroup also offers a broad range of space, defence and industrial equipment and services, both individually and together with its subsidiaries Sodern, Pyroalliance, Nuclétudes and APP. In the field of space launchers, ArianeGroup’s subsidiary Arianespace markets Ariane 6, and its subsidiary MaiaSpace develops and markets the reusable launcher Maia.
ArianeGroup, equally owned by Airbus and Safran, posted consolidated revenues of €2.6 billion in 2025.