Tiny Indian CubeSat to drive to the moon with a Japanese lander
In a new partnership between India and Japan, an Indian CubeSat will accompany a Japanese lunar lander into lunar orbit. HEX20Labs India Private Limited has announced a collaborative mission with Japanese company ispace, aiming to launch a CubeSat aboard one of ispace’s lunar landers in an upcoming mission. The agreement, signed by HEX20Labs co-founder and CEO Lloyd Jacob Lopez and ispace founder and CEO Takeshi Hakamada in Milan, marks a significant step in expanding Indian satellite operations beyond Earth’s orbit.
According to official report by ispace, the CubeSat will be built by HEX20Labs, with the aim of conducting scientific research and technology trials in cislunar space, further integrating India’s technological contributions into international lunar missions. ispace has multiple moon landings planned, but details about which mission will include HEX20Labs’ CubeSat remain secret.
Mission details
The mission, according to to ispace, will help accelerate lunar exploration by standardizing satellite platforms and interfaces necessary for effective operations in cislunar space. “The standardization of the satellite and its interfaces is essential to accelerate cislunar space activities,” said Takeshi Hakamada, founder and CEO of ispace. This partnership with HEX20Labs, he added, is in line with these objectives.
In addition to HEX20Labs, the partnership also includes Skyroot Aerospace, an Indian aerospace company known for launching India’s first private rocket in 2022, adding another key player to this international mission.
Japanese lunar efforts and future prospects
Japan’s recent lunar success, including the precise landing of its Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) in January 2024, demonstrates significant progress in lunar exploration, which is expected to benefit the current project. ispace’s upcoming Mission 2, expected to launch in December 2024, will include a 1,000kg lander called Resilience, along with a small rover, Tenacious, aimed at exploring the Mare Frigoris region.
