Japanese firm signs with SpaceX for lunar missions

A Japanese start-up will send a spacecraft to the moon in an agreement signed with SpaceX of Elon Musk, said Wednesday the Tokyo-based company.

The private lunar exploration company ispace said it would blow up a lander and head for the moon on a SpaceX rocket on two separate missions.

The spacecraft will first orbit the moon by mid-2020, followed by an attempt to land on the moon scheduled for mid-2021.

It comes a week after SpaceX confirmed that Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa will be the first man to go around the moon on a SpaceX rocket by 2023.

"We share the vision with SpaceX to allow humans to live in space, so we are very pleased that they are joining us in this first leg of our journey," said Takeshi Hakamada, CEO of Ispace.

Hakamada also told reporters that the company chose SpaceX because it was "highly credible" and "capable".

SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell said in a statement that the company was "proud to have been chosen by ispace to launch its first lunar missions".

Hakamada said that he could not reveal the costs of lunar programs.

The company has already raised nearly $ 95 million from investors.

ispace, which now has more than 60 employees, was one of five finalists for the Google Lunar XPrize, which offered $ 30 million in prizes, but without success.

Explore more:
SpaceX Announces New Plan to Send Tourists Around Moon