ispace began as an idea.
TIMELINE
Our history
2013
ispace founded
HAKUTO’s participation in the GLXP began in 2013, not 2010. Please remove the reference under the year of 2010 accordingly.
2013
Engineering model completed
White Label Space Japan, the predecessor to ispace,was founded, and entered the Google Lunar X PRIZE
2015
Google Lunar XPRIZE
The team won a medium prize in the mobility sub-system category of the Google Lunar XPRIZE, with plans to launch aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket and Astrobotic’s “Griffin” lander. Additionally, the HAKUTO partnership model, under a contract with IHI, has been initiated, and Pre-flight Models 2 and 3 have been successfully completed.
2016
Funding Secured
JPY 200 million was secured from Incubate Fund and Hinoki, with a revised mission plan now featuring ISRO’s PSLV rocket and Team Indus as the lander for the lunar exploration project.
2017
Lunar Mission Advances
The flight model was shipped to India and successfully installed into the lander, while approximately JPY 10 billion was raised in Series A financing, setting a record for the largest Series A round in Japan at the time.
2018
Setbacks in Lunar Mission
The launch of the lander by Team Indus was officially halted, and the HAKUTO challenge came to an end following the termination of the XPRIZE race.
2019
Flight Model Donated
In recognition of the model completion, the flight model was donated to Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum (planned exhibition in 2024)
2022
HAKUTO-R Mission 1 launched
The first mission was planned to perform a soft landing on the Moon.
2024
SMBC become the official partner
SMBC become the offical partner of HAKUTO-R Mission 2.
2025
“SMBC x HAKUTO-R VENTURE MOON” Mission 2
The second mission will perform a soft landing and deploy a rover for surface exploration and data collection on the Moon.
Early challenges taught us the need for a lunar delivery system, leading us to develop lunar landers.
To achieve sustainable development on the Moon and in deeper space, we need to secure a permanent presence on the lunar surface for humanity. We call this first settlement “Moon Valley”.