Epiroc, iSpace partner in Moon missions

Epiroc, a leading Swedish equipment and tech innovator for the mining and infrastructure industries, has partnered up with Japanese automation and AI startup iSpace and its Luxembourg-based subsidiary iSpace EU in a long-term collaboration agreement for developing commercial Moon missions.

International space agencies' attentions have been focused on the principal chemical elements of the lunar surface that would provide for self-sustaining lunar habitation and the mining of oxygen, sodium, magnesium, aluminum, silicon, calcium, titanium, and iron.

Lunar regolith has multiple uses, from fuel and oxygen creation to mineral resources and construction material. The testing and development of in-situ utilization of these resources are not only designed to support human missions to the Moon, but Mars and beyond.

In December 2020, NASA named 18 astronauts to begin training for new Moon missions with the objective of establishing cost-effective solutions for exploring the cosmos and space resources. Ideally, materials produced on the moon would not necessarily be returned to compete with terrestrial markets but be used to create permanent lunar infrastructure and support further space exploration.

"Leveraging commercial involvement enhances our ability to safely return to the Moon in a sustainable, innovative, and affordable fashion. A supportive policy for the recovery and use of space resources provides a stable and predictable investment environment for commercial space innovators and entrepreneurs," said Phil McAlister, director of commercial spaceflight development at NASA.

Extraterrestrial expansion

Epiroc develops and provides equipment such as drill rigs, rock excavation and construction equipment and tools for surface and underground applications here on Earth, as well as solutions for mining automation, digitalization, and electrification, with customer partnerships in nearly 150 countries.

The company is now looking forward to an extraterrestrial expansion opportunity.

"Epiroc is very excited to collaborate with iSpace to develop and provide technology and solutions together to begin exploring the Moon's surface with the ultimate goal of supporting and expanding human life in a sustainable way," said Epiroc President and CEO Helena Hedblom. "We look forward to our continued collaboration to make the mission successful."

Established in 2010, iSpace was one of five visionary lunar resource development finalists in the Google Lunar XPRIZE race. The company's first lunar exploration mission launched in December 2022 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. It is now successfully in orbit, following an insertion maneuver in March.

Subsequent mission launches are planned for 2024 and 2025 with the ambition of more to follow, securing long-term transportation and exploration of the lunar surface and extraction of available resources using technology development and commercial solutions.

The HAKUTO-R Mission 1 Lunar Lander is the first privately-led Japanese mission expected to land on the lunar surface this month, providing invaluable data for use in following landings. The second and third missions will increase landings and rover deployments for surface exploration and data collection, transporting payloads and pioneering the discovery and development of lunar resources to facilitate industry and human presence on the Moon.

"I am very pleased to sign this agreement with Epiroc," says Takeshi Hakamada, founder and CEO of iSpace, Inc. "iSpace is pioneering the Cislunar ecosystem to open new opportunities for governments and industry players. Our collaboration to develop technology and solutions in the field of space resources in a sustainable and responsible manner for future lunar missions is another step to realizing iSpace's vision."

Updates on Epiroc's involvement in iSpace's lunar missions are soon to follow. Until then, legal precedents are being establishedand a new generation ofaerospace engineers andlunar geologists are already being trained for coming Moon exploration and mining.