ispace & Leicester pact to send spectrometer to moon

ispace and the University of Leicester have signed a Payload Service Agreement to send a Raman spectrometer to the lunar surface on a future mission using ispace's ULTRA lunar lander.

The instrument is adapted from a laser-based spectrometer first developed for the ExoMars mission. The University of Leicester is delivering it with INTA in Madrid, the University of Aberdeen, RAL Space and the University of Valladolid, with funding from the UK Space Agency's Science and Exploration Bilateral Fund.

Under the agreement, ispace will provide transport services through its Japanese business for a mission yet to be assigned. The spectrometer is intended to study lunar regolith and identify its molecular composition, including minerals, volatiles and water ice.

The project reflects a broader push by universities, space agencies and private operators to place scientific instruments on commercial lunar landers. The model is becoming more common as governments seek lower-cost ways to gather data from the Moon while testing hardware for later exploration.

The spectrometer is designed to operate very close to, or in direct contact with, the lunar surface. To enable that, ispace and the University of Leicester are developing a deployment mechanism to position the instrument on the regolith for use from either a lander or a rover.

The ULTRA lander will carry the payload. The vehicle builds on technology developed across ispace's operations in Japan and the United States and follows the landers used in its previous two lunar missions.

Research focus

Scientists use Raman spectroscopy to study the molecular structure of materials by analysing how laser light interacts with them. On the Moon, that could help researchers examine the composition of surface material and assess whether certain resources may be available for scientific use or future human missions.

The University of Leicester and ispace have worked together on the project for several years. Their cooperation began with a Letter of Support, moved to an Initial Payload Service Agreement and has now progressed to a full Payload Service Agreement.

The work also highlights the growing role of British research groups in lunar science programmes carried out with commercial launch and landing providers. Alongside Leicester, the project includes institutions from Spain and the UK with experience in planetary instruments and space research.

Takeshi Hakamada, Founder & Chief Executive Officer of ispace, said: "We are pleased to expand our collaboration with the University of Leicester through this Payload Service Agreement. By combining the University of Leicester's expertise in Raman spectroscopy with ispace's lunar transportation and surface mobility capabilities, we are helping lay the groundwork for future missions focused on understanding and utilising lunar resources."

UK ministers also linked the agreement to broader space cooperation between Britain and Japan. The mission is expected to provide data on lunar surface composition that could inform later scientific and operational planning.

Liz Lloyd, UK Space Minister, said: "This agreement between ispace and the University of Leicester is a brilliant example of what UK space science can achieve when world-class academic expertise meets commercial ambition, and I'm delighted to see it deepening our cooperation with Japan.

"By analysing the composition of the lunar surface - identifying resources like high value minerals, volatiles and water ice - this mission will lay the groundwork for sustainable lunar exploration, opening up economic opportunities and strengthening the UK's role in this emerging market."

The Leicester team described the deal as another step in moving university-developed instrumentation towards operational lunar missions. The instrument traces its roots to Mars exploration work, showing how hardware developed for one planetary environment can be adapted for another.

Dr Hannah Lerman, of the Planetary Group in the School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Leicester, said: "We are very excited to see our collaboration with ispace progress with this latest agreement. ispace brings a fresh, dynamic approach to developing and launching space missions, and we are thrilled to be part of their vision. This is a new model of space exploration that opens up a wide range of possibilities to demonstrate the capabilities of our technology developed at the University of Leicester. With human exploration missions so close to launch, this agreement is an important step in preparing for a future return to the moon."