ispace’s US subsidiary has been selected as a candidate contractor for NASA’s new lunar transportation programme, CLPS2, and is expected to be able to participate directly as a prime contractor in competitive bidding for individual lunar equipment transportation projects.
ispace’s US subsidiary, which aims to conduct lunar exploration, has been selected as a candidate contractor for NASA’s new lunar transportation programme, CLPS2, giving it an opportunity to participate in proposals and the selection process for individual projects to be announced by NASA. CLPS is a system under which NASA purchases transportation services from private companies rather than having them develop their own lunar exploration vehicles. The total contract ceiling for all participating companies is expected to reach up to $10 billion over 10 years.
ispace previously launched a lunar lander, but it did not achieve a landing. The company is now developing its next-generation ULTRA lander, drawing on its existing technology and US-based development structure. The latest selection is viewed as reflecting the evaluation of those technologies and capabilities.