iSpace: signed payload service agreement with S. Korea's UEL

On October 1, 2025, ispace, inc. (TOKYO: 9348), a global lunar exploration company, and South Korea's Unmanned Exploration Laboratory (UEL), a space robotics firm, signed an interim payload service agreement to transport up to two 2-wheeled lunar rovers to the Moon's surface. The agreement was announced during the International Astronautical Congress 2025 in Sydney, Australia. Under the terms of the iPSA, ispace will conduct up to two lunar lander missions to deliver the rovers, developed by UEL, to the Moon. These missions are scheduled to launch no earlier than 2027 and would represent the first time a Korean commercial entity has sent a rover to the lunar surface.

ispace, which operates in Japan, the United States, and Luxembourg, has previously launched two lunar missions and is responsible for deploying the first European lunar rover. The company aims to provide frequent, cost-effective lunar transportation services to support both public and private payloads. UEL, a leader in space robotics in South Korea, specializes in developing rovers for extreme environments. The rovers in question are designed with a rear-mounted tail to access challenging lunar terrain and will rely on ispace for transportation and communication support.

The iPSA follows a memorandum of understanding signed by the two companies on October 15, 2024. This collaboration underscores growing international interest in lunar exploration and highlights the expanding role of commercial entities in space logistics and technology demonstration.