Tokyo-based space startup ispace, inc. plans to launch a spacecraft -- under development for moon landing -- by 2021 with SpaceX rockets, having concluded a relevant contract with the U.S. rocket company, the Japanese firm announced Wednesday.
Under the plan, the Minato Ward, Tokyo-based startup is scheduled to test the technology needed to put the spacecraft into the moon's orbit in mid-2020 and to have it land on the moon in mid-2021.
The 3.5-meter high, about 350-kilogram lander will carry 2 rovers -- weighing about 10 kilograms -- that are supposed to investigate the moon's surface for 2 weeks.
Financial corporations such as public-private investment fund Innovation Network Corp. of Japan (INCJ) and the Development Bank of Japan (DBJ) have contributed approximately 10 billion yen in funding to the plan, the Tokyo company said.
"We want to develop a thrilling and exciting project," ispace founder and CEO Takeshi Hakamada said at a press conference on Wednesday.
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