Press Release

Contact:
Email:
Website:Shuhei Akimoto, Tomoya Mori
pr@ispace-inc.com
www.ispace-inc.com

May 31, 2017

Lunar Exploration Company ispace and Tokyo Broadcasting
System Holdings Sign Mid-Term Strategic Media PartnershipTokyo, Japan – May 31, 2017 — The Tokyo based lunar exploration company ispace, inc.
and Tokyo Broadcasting System Holdings (TBS) announced today that they have signed a
medium-term strategic media partnership in Japan.
Based in Tokyo, Japan, ispace inc. is working to develop a lunar mining business to cultivate
the space resource market, with a vision to establish a sustainable ecosystem in space.
The company currently manages Team HAKUTO, a private team that is competing for theUS$30 million Google Lunar XPRIZE. HAKUTO is comprised of various members including
the members of ispace, faculty members and students at Tohoku University, and Pro-Bonoexperts from various fields. To win the competition, a team must successfully land aspacecraft on the Moon’s surface, travel at least 500 meters and transmit high-definition
video and images back to Earth, before the end of 2017. HAKUTO’s rover flight model“SORATO” will be launched at the end of 2017 from India aboard Indian Space Research
Organization’s PSLV rocket. The rover is expected to land on the Moon in January 2018.
Furthermore, ispace plans to build upon the micro-robotic technology developed in theGoogle Lunar XPRIZE to explore and secure valuable resources required to support thefuture space exploration endeavors. In the next decade, ispace is aiming to establish a highfrequency transportation service to the Moon. In the long term, ispace plans to map
potential resources, deliver extracted and processed resources to customers on and aroundthe Moon.
TBS signed this strategic media partnership upon its expectation for ispace and HAKUTO tolead the future of the private space industry with its world-class technology. From today,TBS will not only communicate ispace and HAKUTO's activities through its television anddigital platforms, but also support the growth of the global private space industry as awhole. As part of its ambition, TBS plans to establish a “Space Project (temporary title)”
within the company.

Comments
Takeshi Hakamada, Founder&CEO at ispace, inc.
“I believe that the partnership with TBS will play an important role in making outer space
more familiar to the general public. By collaborating with the television industry, we will not
only be able to lower the psychological barrier between people and outer space, but also
encourage more young minds to enter the space industry. We will continue to stimulate thegrowth of the global space industry, and establish a sustainable ecosystem centering
around space resource development.”
Shinji Takeda, President at Tokyo Broadcasting System Holdings“We support their participation in the global lunar exploration race and its vision beyond.
We hope that ispace and HAKUTO will be a great milestone for Japan’s technological scene
and raise hope, dream and energy among people. Back in 1990, TBS sent the world’s first
Journalist to outer space as part of its 40-year anniversary project. Today, we would like tocontinue to support the young and passionate minds to challenge themselves to pioneer
the space frontier.”###【 About HAKUTO】 http://team-hakuto.jp/en/
Team HAKUTO, run by the Japanese startup ispace, Inc., is the only Japanese teamcompeting for the Google Lunar XPRIZE. The team is comprised of various members
including: the members of ispace, Tohoku University, and Pro-Bono experts from variousfields. HAKUTO was awarded a Mobility Milestone Prize from Google Lunar XPRIZE inJanuary 2015.
【 About the Google Lunar XPRIZE 】 http://lunar.xprize.org/The $30M Google Lunar XPRIZE is an unprecedented competition to challenge and inspireengineers and entrepreneurs from around the world to develop low-cost methods ofrobotic 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 andtransmits high-definition video and images back to Earth, before the mission deadline ofDecember 31, 2017.
【 About ispace, Inc. 】 http://ispace-inc.com/
ispace is a space robotics company focused on developing miniaturized technology todiscover, map, and utilize resources in space. ispace designs, manufactures, and manages
robotics for Team HAKUTO, a front running Google Lunar XPRIZE team. ispace and TeamHAKUTO 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.