ispace Co., Ltd. Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation joins as the first official partner of ispace’s “HAKUTO-R” program

ispace Co., Ltd. press release (2024.11.12) ispace Co., Ltd. Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation becomes the first official partner of ispace’s “HAKUTO-R” program The mission name “VENTURE MOON” means new opportunities for the future. Incorporate  ispace Co., Ltd. (Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Representative Director: Takeshi Hakamada, hereinafter “ispace”) (stock code 9348) is a subsidiary of Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, President and CEO: Akihiro Fukudome, hereinafter “Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation”). We are pleased to announce that we have agreed to participate in the private lunar exploration program “HAKUTO-R” as the first official partner. Additionally, due to the naming rights granted to the official partners, we have decided to name the mission “VENTURE MOON” to symbolize new opportunities. As a result, the ispace mission name will be Mission 2 “SMBC x HAKUTO-R VENTURE MOON”.
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 Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation has been participating in the program as a corporate partner since 2020, and by joining as the first official partner, we will build an even closer partnership than ever before and support iSpace’s vision of the Earth and the moon. We will work together to promote efforts to build an economic zone in the space between (cisluna). The cislunar economic zone is an economic infrastructure that we aim to create in the space between the Earth and the moon, and is a broad concept that includes new markets, technologies, and infrastructure that support the realization of a sustainable society.  ispace provides high-frequency, low-cost transportation services to the lunar surface and lunar orbit, building on Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation’s global financial network and deep understanding of the space industry to create a new, privately-led company. We aim to build a sustainable economic zone. Additionally, together with Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, we will further strengthen our efforts to create a cislunar economic zone and realize a sustainable future. ■ About “HAKUTO-R” mission name  Mission 2, which is scheduled to launch at the earliest in January 2025, has been given the mission name “VENTURE MOON” by Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, which has become an official partner, and has been newly named “Mission 2 “SMBC x HAKUTO-R VENTURE MOON” “The logo was also unveiled for the first time at the same time. ■ Thoughts behind the mission name The word “venture” in “VENTURE MOON” includes the nuances of opportunity and new beginnings, and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, which supports companies working to solve social issues for the future, and For ispace, which aims to build a new ecosystem, it expresses common core values. iSpace is an integrated global company that promotes space development through three companies in Japan, the United States, and Europe, leveraging the culture and diversity of each region. The plan is to carry out Mission 2, led by the Japanese corporation, as early as January 2025, followed by Mission 3, led by the U.S. corporation, in 2026. Additionally, Mission 6 is scheduled for 2027 using the Series 3 Lander (tentative name), which is currently under development in Japan. ■ ispace Co., Ltd. CEO & Founder Takeshi Hakamada Comments   “We are very pleased to announce that Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, which has provided us with great support as a corporate partner, will now be joining us as the first official partner of the HAKUTO-R program. In order to realize the vision of building an economic zone, the financial function, which is the basic infrastructure of the economic zone, will be an important element.By working together and creating new social value, we will contribute to the future not only of Japan but also of the world. I would like to do so.” ■ Comments from Muneo Kanamaru, Director, Vice President and Executive Officer, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation  We are very pleased to be participating in the “HAKUTO-R” program as an official partner. As a group, we are actively working to create value with an eye to the future in order to realize a sustainable society, and we hope that through the growth of the space industry, we will be able to contribute to next-generation innovation and the construction of a new industrial base. We would like to support you in your future challenges. ” ■ ispace Co., Ltd. (
https://ispace-inc.com/jpn/ )About A space startup company that is working on the development of resources on the moon, with the vision of “Expand our planet. Expand our future. ~Expand the living area of ​​humanity into space and create a sustainable world~.” It operates from three locations in Japan, Luxembourg, and the United States, and currently has approximately 300 staff members. Established in 2010, it operated “HAKUTO”, one of the five teams that made it to the final selection of the Google Lunar XPRIZE race. Developed a small lander (lunar lander) with the purpose of providing high-frequency, low-cost transportation services to the moon, and a rover (lunar surface exploration vehicle) for lunar exploration. Aiming to become a gateway for private companies to do business on the moon, we will also launch a lunar data business concept to support entry into the lunar market. On December 11, 2022, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 was used to complete the launch of the company’s first Mission 1 lander. Mission 2 will be launched at the earliest in January 2025[i], Mission 3 in 2026[ii], and Mission 6 in 2027[iii]. The purpose of Mission 1 is to verify the lander design and technology, as well as to verify and strengthen the business model of providing lunar surface transportation services and lunar surface data services, and to achieve Success 8 of the 10 Mission 1 milestones. During Success9, we succeeded in acquiring valuable data and know-how for realizing a lunar landing mission, including data during the landing sequence. The data and know-how obtained in Mission 1 will be fed back to the subsequent Mission 2. Additionally, Mission 3 will contribute to NASA’s Artemis program by providing more precise lunar surface transportation services. ■ HAKUTO-R ( https://ispace-inc.com/jpn/m1 )About
 HAKUTO-R is a civilian lunar surface exploration program that collectively refers to Mission 1 and Mission 2 conducted by iSpace. They will develop their own lander (lunar lander) and rover (lunar surface rover) and conduct two missions: landing on the moon and exploring the moon. Using SpaceX’s Falcon 9, the lander launch for Mission 1 (lunar surface landing mission) will be completed in 2022. Mission 2 (lunar surface exploration mission) is scheduled to be launched in January 2025 at the earliest. HAKUTO-R is an official partner of Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, and corporate partners of Japan Airlines Co., Ltd., Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Co., Ltd., NGK Spark Plug Co., Ltd., Citizen Watch Co., Ltd., Suzuki Motor
Corporation, and Takasago Thermal Engineering Co., Ltd. Participating companies include SMBC Nikko Securities Co., Ltd., Sky Co., Ltd., Epiroc AB, JINS Co., Ltd., and Kurita Water Industries, Ltd. [i] Assumptions as of November 2024 [ii] Assumptions as of November 2024 [iii] Assumptions as of November 2024 [iv]
Assumptions as of November 2024