Student-Developed Payloads Going to the Moon
ispace and Orbital Space Collaborating on the Program
A mutual strategic cooperation agreement to jointly promote and implement educational lunar missions involving student-developed payloads has been reached by ispace and UAE-based Orbital Space.
“(T)his agreement enables us to expand our collaboration with Orbital Space in the UAE.”
Takeshi Hakamada, ispace
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 the 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.
“ispace has built a deep, cooperative relationship with the UAE, including collaborating with the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Center (MBRSC) to transport the Rashid rover on Mission 1 in 2023,” said Takeshi Hakamada, Founder & CEO of ispace. “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.”
“Through our collaboration with ispace, we aim to bring the Moon closer to students in the UAE and around the world,” said Dr. Bassam Alfeeli, General Manager of Orbital Space. “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 realize a future where ‘access to space is available to everyone.’”
Orbital Space and ispace are expected to undertake joint efforts to promote the program and future lunar missions with further details being released soon.