Redwire and ispace-US forge partnership to pursue lunar mission contracts

Redwire and ispace-US forge partnership to pursue lunar mission contracts
by Clarence Oxford
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Apr 10, 2025

Redwire Corporation (NYSE: RDW), a prominent developer of space infrastructure, has entered into a strategic memorandum of understanding with ispace technologies-U.S., inc. (ispace-U.S.), an American company focused on cis-lunar transportation and infrastructure, to jointly pursue commercial lunar exploration and scientific missions. The announcement was made during the 40th Space Symposium.

This collaboration aims to target opportunities under NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, a program designed to foster a lunar economy through commercial deliveries of science and technology payloads. The CLPS contract is structured as a multi-award, indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity agreement with a total potential value of $2.6 billion, running through 2028. Redwire, one of 14 prime contractors selected for CLPS, intends to leverage ispace-U.S.'s advanced lunar landing technology to bid for upcoming missions.

Central to this partnership is ispace-U.S.'s next-generation APEX lunar lander. This platform integrates lessons from earlier ispace missions, including the Hakuto-R Series 1 and Mission 2 RESILIENCE landers, to deliver improved payload capacity and operational flexibility. The APEX lander can accommodate customer payloads for deployment either on the Moon's surface or in lunar orbit.

"Redwire is proud to partner with ispace-U.S. to pursue upcoming commercial lunar exploration and science missions and deliver critical lunar infrastructure," said Mike Gold, President of Civil and International Space at Redwire. "The combination of Redwire's advanced digital engineering, integration and testing, and lunar subsystems and payloads with ispace's proven lunar landing platform and mission operations creates a world-class team to support the future of humanity's operations on the lunar surface and beyond."

"ispace-U.S. is thrilled to announce the partnership with Redwire to push the boundaries of lunar exploration. With significant heritage from the previous ispace lunar missions, as well as its growing footprint in the United States, ispace-U.S. is uniquely positioned to instill confidence in pursuing future commercial lunar exploration and science missions to help build a cis-lunar economy," said Elizabeth Kryst, CEO of ispace-U.S.

This agreement empowers both companies to combine their respective technological strengths and mission experience to support NASA and other commercial or governmental clients in advancing lunar activities.