The Japanese firm ispace, dedicated to creating lander technology for lunar exploration, has revealed the opening of a new office in Denver. The company stated today that the choice of Colorado is due to the readily available pool of skilled aerospace engineers, with plans for rapid recruitment to build a complete local engineering staff. Alongside this announcement, ispace confirmed the appointment of Kursten O’Neill, bringing seven years of experience from SpaceX, to lead the development of ispace’s advanced lunar lander.

This U.S. development aligns with ispace’s strategy to collaborate more effectively with NASA via the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative. Currently, ispace is working with Draper, a U.S. space company, to compete for a contract to deliver lunar lander transport services to the agency. Furthermore, ispace intends to utilize its global presence to facilitate stronger connections between the U.S. and its international collaborators within the broader Artemis program – NASA’s endeavor to facilitate the return of humans to the moon and build a lasting base for ongoing scientific investigation.

Ispace is preparing to launch its initial lunar landers for Missions 1 and 2, with launch dates currently scheduled to begin in 2021. Mission 3 is slated to be the first to utilize the company’s next-generation lander, which will be engineered and built in the U.S. under the direction of O’Neill, and will feature increased size and the ability to carry larger payloads.