Less known than SpaceX or Blue Origin, the Japanese company has nothing to envy to the two monsters of the American New Space. More discreet, the company got off to a perfect start when it launched on the stock market this week from Tokyo.
When trading opened, iSpace stock was listed at 254 yen. After a few hours, this value had almost doubled, reaching 436 yen. An increase of 76% which shows the seriousness and progress of this space project. The start-up founded in 2010 now has 200 employees, mainly in Japan.
iSpace: the Japanese SpaceX?
From the archipelago, the company works in particular with NASA to prepare for the return of the American space agency to the Moon. The two firms are in contract for several years, a first inflow of money for iSpace which lives today thanks to fundraising.
A few months before its IPO, iSpace had completed a funding round of 6.7 billion yen (50 million dollars), one of the most important fundraisers in the history of space. With such funding, the company hopes to achieve great things, starting with reaching the Moon, a goal that should be achieved by the end of the month.
Objective moon
Last December, a Flacon 9 rocket from SpaceX propelled an iSpace probe to the Moon. According to the latest trajectory calculations, Hakuto-R M1 should reach the ground of our satellite on April 25. In February iSpace had already announced that the launch had been a success despite some minor problems.
If the mission succeeds, iSpace will become the first private company to land on the Moon, a few months before SpaceX and its Starship. Reaching the lunar ground is however a complex adventure. A few years ago a private Israeli company tried to land on our satellite without success. In history only the American, Russian and Chinese governments have achieved such a feat.
After the probes, the lunar tourists
In the long term, iSpace hopes to be able to colonize the Moon with the ultimate goal of installing the first inhabitants around the year 2040. A project that is now shared by several companies, starting with SpaceX and its ambition for human colonies. on Mars.
After this first day on the Stock Exchange, iSpace was valued at around 320 million dollars. A value that is likely to change significantly in the coming months, the success (or not) of the Hakuto-R M1 mission on April 25 should mark a turning point for the company and its valuation.
