ispace-EUROPE S.A. (“ispace-EUROPE”) and ispace, inc. (collectively “ispace” – a leading global lunar exploration company), have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Leonardo, a leading global aerospace, defense, and security player and Telespazio, a joint venture between Leonardo (67%) and Thales (33%), to explore collaboration on lunar communications, positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) infrastructure and services, and lunar transportation partnership.
This new agreement expands upon the previous cooperation between ispace and Telespazio, originally built on their initial 2025 Letter of Intent, including the possibility to explore Leonardo’s space division capabilities in space robotics and AI applied to space exploration, as well as by broadening the scope of collaboration with additional strategic areas like interoperability, user access and service provision to expand lunar communications, navigation, and transportation services. Reflecting a shared commitment to support global lunar exploration missions, the partnership also focuses on the development of user terminals, space and ground segments to meet the demands of tomorrow.
Together, the parties will evaluate how integrated service offerings could provide expanded communications coverage on the lunar surface and to lunar orbit, expanded navigation capabilities, increased data capacity, and improved resilience for future lunar missions. The MOU also includes exploring the potential transportation of Moonlight satellites to lunar orbit by ispace’s orbital transfer vehicle.
The inclusion of both ispace’s Japanese and European entities, alongside the international excellence of Leonardo and Telespazio, brings together complementary strengths from across Europe and Japan — enabling deeper international collaboration on the infrastructure, services and standards needed to support future lunar activity.
Takeshi Hakamada, Founder and CEO of ispace, said: "Through this collaboration with Telespazio and Leonardo we are bringing together complementary capabilities in transportation, communications and navigation to help build the foundations of a sustainable cislunar economy. We are proud to work alongside leading European partners to advance the infrastructure that will support the next generation of lunar missions."
Julien-Alexandre Lamamy, CEO of ispace-EUROPE, said: "This collaboration is particularly exciting because it brings together some of the strongest lunar exploration capabilities across Europe and Japan to support a shared vision: enabling advanced lunar missions by both commercial and government actors that will achieve sustained exploration and long-term presence on the Moon.” By combining European expertise in telecommunications, navigation and space systems with ispace's experience in lunar transportation, communications and surface mobility, we have an opportunity to help shaping the infrastructure that future missions will rely upon.”
Massimo Claudio Comparini, Managing Director of Leonardo Space Division, said: “The agreement with ispace marks a further step towards the development of an always more integrated and interoperable infrastructure capable of supporting the growing number of missions to the Moon. By bringing together complementary capabilities in communications, navigation and lunar transportation, robotics and AI, Leonardo, together with Telespazio and Thales Alenia Space, is contributing to the development of the services and technologies that will enable a sustained presence in the lunar environment, supporting the evolution of a global and interconnected cislunar ecosystem.”
Gabriele Pieralli, Chief Executive Officer of Telespazio, said: “With this collaboration, Telespazio consolidates its leading role in lunar communication and navigation infrastructure, bringing together Moonlight's expertise with ispace's cislunar transportation and communication capabilities, mission interoperability and Leonardo's technological depth. This step strengthens Italian and European industrial leadership, enhancing collaboration with ispace as primary industry in what is set to become a lunar economy — a strategic asset for science, industry, and institutional missions in the decades ahead.”
As global lunar exploration transitions from individual missions to a sustained operational ecosystem, communications, navigation and transportation infrastructure are increasingly recognized as critical enablers of scientific, commercial and governmental activities on the lunar surface and in lunar orbit. The parties believe that collaboration and interoperability will be essential to creating a resilient lunar ecosystem.
Alessandro Ocera, SVP, Commercial, Digital Solutions & Transformation of Telespazio, Massimo Claudio Comparini, Managing Director of Leonardo Space Division, Takeshi Hakamada, Founder & CEO of ispace, inc., & Julien-Alexandre Lamamy, CEO of ispace-EUROPE, following the signing of the MOU at the 77th International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Antalya, Türkiye.