Space Cafè Radio - ispace and the Japanese space journey

Send us a Text Message.This episode features an interview with Takeshi Hakamada, the founder and CEO of ispace, discussing Japan's significant role in lunar exploration, following the news that Japan will be the first country to send non-Americans to the Moon. Takeshi shares insights on their upcoming Mission 2, scheduled to launch this winter, focusing on lunar surface exploration using micro rovers. Additionally, he discusses the lessons learned from Mission 1, particularly in software development for landing. Takeshi also provides details on their future missions, including Mission 3, designed for commercial payloads, demonstrating a shift towards commercial lunar missions. ispace, Takeshi highlights, is at the forefront in building international partnerships for space resource utilization, emphasizing the importance of collaboration in the evolving space industry landscape. Geopolitical final question: How is the relationship with China? It's complicated, Takeshi says. You can find us on: Spotify and Apple Podcast!Please visit us at SpaceWatch.Global, subscribe to our newsletters. Follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter!