ispace and UEL Sign Interim Payload Service Agreement (iPSA) to Transport Rovers to the Moon

Tokyo–October 1, 2025 – ispace, inc., (TOKYO: 9348)  a global lunar exploration company and Unmanned Exploration Laboratory (UEL), a space robotics and exploration company in Korea, have signed an interim payload service agreement (iPSA) to transport up to two 2-wheeled rovers to the surface of the Moon, the two companies announced at a signing ceremony held at the IAF’s International Astronautical Congress 2025, held in Sydney, Australia.

The iPSA signed by both companies envisions up to two lunar lander missions fulfilled by ispace to transport two identical lunar rovers developed and manufactured by UEL. The missions are currently scheduled to launch no earlier than 2027 and would mark the first Korean vehicles to explore the lunar surface.

ispace with business entities in Japan, the United States and Luxembourg specializes in the design, manufacture, and operation of lunar landers and rovers. It has launched two missions to the Moon and successfully injected into lunar orbit. It is also responsible for launching the first lunar rover from Europe. The company currently has multiple missions planned for launch in the coming years supported by both public and private commercial payloads.

UEL is a leading lunar company in Korea with a history of developing a wide range of robotic mobility solutions for extreme environments. The rovers to be deployed on future ispace lunar lander missions are two-wheeled rovers with a rear-mounted tail that aims to explore hard-to-reach geological features on the moon. ispace will be responsible for transporting the rovers to the lunar surface and supporting communications relay to the rover via the lander.