Redwire and ispace-U.S. announce a partnership at the 40th Space Symposium to pursue commercial lunar missions for NASA's CLPS initiative and other customers.
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| Elizabeth Kryst, CEO of ispace-U.S. and Mike Gold, President of Civil and International Space Business of Redwire shake hands at a signing ceremony held during Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, Colo. Image: Tere Riley |
Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA — April 9, 2025:
Redwire Corporation and ispace technologies U.S., Inc. (ispace-U.S.), leaders in space infrastructure and lunar exploration, have announced a strategic partnership aimed at pursuing commercial lunar exploration missions. The announcement was made at the 40th Space Symposium and comes as part of the companies' plan to collaborate under NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, along with other potential customers in the private sector.
The CLPS initiative is a multi-award, indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract that offers a cumulative maximum value of $2.6 billion through 2028. This contract is central to NASA's efforts to support the creation of a sustainable lunar economy, facilitating commercial deliveries of science payloads to the Moon. Redwire is one of 14 prime contractors selected under this contract, and its partnership with ispace-U.S. will bring together proven expertise in lunar lander technology and space infrastructure.
Ispace-U.S. will contribute its APEX1.0 lunar lander, a next-generation platform that builds on the lessons learned from the RESILIENCE lander used in the company’s previous missions. The APEX1.0 lander is designed for enhanced mass-to-surface capabilities, making it a versatile tool for delivering payloads to the lunar surface or lunar orbit. This lander is poised to play a key role in supporting the goals of NASA’s Artemis program and future lunar exploration missions.
Mike Gold, President of Civil and International Space at Redwire, highlighted the importance of the collaboration, stating, “Redwire is proud to partner with ispace-U.S. to deliver critical lunar infrastructure for commercial lunar exploration missions. Together, we will leverage Redwire’s expertise in digital engineering, integration, and lunar subsystems with ispace’s proven lander technology, creating a world-class team to support the future of lunar exploration.”
Elizabeth Kryst, CEO of ispace-U.S., expressed excitement about the partnership, adding, “ispace-U.S. is thrilled to join forces with Redwire to push the boundaries of lunar exploration. Our heritage from previous missions, combined with our growing footprint in the United States, uniquely positions us to confidently pursue future commercial lunar exploration missions and contribute to the development of a cis-lunar economy.”
Through this partnership, Redwire and ispace-U.S. are poised to make significant contributions to the rapidly evolving commercial space sector, supporting both government and private-sector customers in their lunar exploration efforts. This collaboration marks an important step forward in humanity’s journey to the Moon and beyond, as both companies work together to build the infrastructure needed for long-term space exploration.