Japan Airlines (JAL) and lunar exploration company ispace, inc. (Head office: Minato-ku, Tokyo, Founder & CEO: Takeshi Hakamada) have agreed to form a capital and business alliance. In correlation with JAL's "Embrace New Challenges" slogan, the company has been sponsoring a team managed by ispace called "HAKUTO" since 2015, which was the first privately funded team formed in Japan for lunar exploration. Through the new alliance, JAL will further engage in space development and strive to bring new values to customers.

With its vision "Expand our planet. Expand our future." ispace is exploring lunar resources with an aim to ensure the sustainability of this planet, while exploring human presence beyond Earth. JAL believes that ispace's vision are in line with the carrier`s corporate policy, "to contribute to the betterment of society" and will pursue the opportunities for space travel as part of its efforts to expand the company`s business domains.

By taking part in Japan`s largest space development program in the private sector, JAL takes a first step to expand its business into space.

Capital Business Alliance

- Strategic Investment in ispace

- Joint Promotion

- Collaboration in Transportation, Maintenance, Operation

- Collaboration in Space Travel Business

ispace Space Development

ispace spearheads two exploration missions to the Moon with its revolutionary technology. Mission 1, planned for the fourth quarter of 2019, will inject the lander into the lunar orbit to conduct observation of the lunar surface. Mission 2, planned for the fourth quarter of 2020, will see the lander attempt a soft landing on the Moon, deploying multiple rovers to explore and map the surface.

Contributed by Japan Airlines