PRESS
Contact: Shuhei Akimoto
Phone: +81 0344057540
Email: pr@ispace-inc.com
Website: www.ispace-inc.com

December 16, 2016

Private Lunar Exploration Company ispace Collaborates With JAXA on Lunar
Resource Development Initiative
A new agreement between ispace and JAXA marks the beginning of Japan’s first initiative for thedevelopment and creation of a space resource industry
Tokyo, Japan – December 16, 2016 — ispace, inc, a private lunar robotic explorationcompany, announced today that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with theJapan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) to jointly create a roadmap for lunar resource
development. Under this agreement, both parties will utilize their knowledge and network todevelop plans and frameworks for creating an industry around lunar resource mining, deliveryand utilization.
Based in Tokyo, Japan, ispace inc. is working to develop a lunar mining business to cultivate thespace resource market. The space industry is estimated to reach a value of 90 billion US dollars
in 2030 and the resource market is predicted to be at its core.
ispace currently manages the front running Google Lunar XPRIZE team, HAKUTO. Next year thecompany will send a rover to the Moon to demonstrate its micro-robotic technology for lunar
exploration. In the next decade, ispace plans to establish a high-frequency transportation
service to the Moon and conduct exploration missions to map lunar resources. In the long term,
the company plans to deliver extracted and processed resources to customers on and aroundthe Moon.
“Space resource development is attracting a great deal of attention around the world” said
Takeshi Hakamada, the founder and CEO of ispace. “We think it is important to actively
participate in the rule-making and commercialization while we are technologically competitive
globally with our HAKUTO project.”In this agreement, ispace and JAXA will consider the following three points in creating a lunar
resource development industry:
1. A comprehensive plan for the space resource industry including necessary technologies
and industrial value chains involving lunar resource mapping (including positions,compositions, characteristics), mining, storage, delivery, sales and utilization in space.
2. Role allocation between public and private sectors for R&D activities and public
procurement, as well as building of a national and an international framework needed forindustry creation.
3. Considerations for other necessary actions, including the expansion of relevant consortiums

PRESSIn addition, Japan recently announced a national policy to strengthen the development of thespace resource industry. On November 8th, the National Diet of Japan adopted a resolution todiscuss the necessary steps to support the space resource industry, and on December 13th, theJapanese Cabinet Office introduced actions for space resource exploration and development as
part of the 20-year implementation schedule for Japan’s Basic Plan on Space Policy.
Today’s agreement with JAXA marks the beginning of Japan’s first concrete action for thedevelopment and creation of the space resource industry, with a focus on lunar resources.
“With strong support from our government and our new partnership with JAXA, ispace will
strive to lead the space resource development industry both nationally and internationally.”###About ispace, Inc.
ispace is a space robotics company focused on developing miniaturized technology to discover, map, andutilize resources in space. ispace designs, manufactures, and manages robotics for Team Hakuto, a front
running Google Lunar XPRIZE team. ispace and Team Hakuto are sending the first privately developed
micro-rover to the Moon in 2017 in an attempt to win the $20M XPRIZE and conduct preliminary
prospecting activities. For more information, please visit: http://ispace-inc.com/
About JAXAThe Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is designated as a core performance agency to support
the Japanese government's overall aerospace development and utilization. In 2013, to commemorate the10th anniversary of its founding, JAXA created the corporate slogan, "Explore to Realize," which reflects
its management philosophy of utilizing space and the sky to achieve a safe and affluent society. JAXA
became a National Research and Development Agency in April 2015, and took a new step forward toachieve optimal R&D achievements for Japan, according to the government's purpose of establishing anational R&D agency. For more information, please visit http://global.jaxa.jp/
About Team HAKUTOTeam HAKUTO, run by the Japanese startup ispace technologies Inc., is the only Japanese team competingfor the Google Lunar XPRIZE. The team is comprised of various members including: the members ofispace, Tohoku University, and Pro-Bono experts from various fields. HAKUTO was awarded a Mobility
Milestone Prize from Google Lunar XPRIZE in January 2015. For more information, please visit
http://team-hakuto.jp/en/ or @team_hakuto_en.
About the Google Lunar XPRIZE
The $30M Google Lunar XPRIZE is an unprecedented competition to challenge and inspire engineers andentrepreneurs from around the world to develop low-cost methods of robotic space exploration. To win
the Google Lunar XPRIZE, a privately funded team must successfully place a robot on the Moon’s surface
that explores at least 500 meters and transmits high-definition video and images back to Earth, before
the mission deadline of December 31, 2017. For more information, please visit http://lunar.xprize.org/
or @GLXP.