ispace EUROPE S.A.
Luxembourg subsidiary of ispace, inc. that built the Tenacious micro-rover, lost with the Mission 2 lander in June 2025 before deployment, and is mission prime for ESA's MAGPIE lunar south-pole water-ice prospecting rover, planned to launch in 2029. It holds a December 2020 NASA regolith-purchase contract under which no regolith has been collected.
An organization's level is recorded separately and is not a ranking of its linked missions' results. How the ladder works.
Resources and evidence
Each resource shows the highest step primary sources support. How the ladder works.
| Resource | Evidence | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Regolith | Targeted | work aimed at it |
| Water ice | Targeted | work aimed at it |
| Volatiles | Targeted | work aimed at it |
| Helium-3 | Targeted | work aimed at it |
Demonstrated
Built the ~5 kg Tenacious micro-rover with an Epiroc-developed regolith shovel and obtained a mission authorization for it under Luxembourg's 2017 space resources law (which ispace-EUROPE describes as the first granted in Europe); the rover was stowed on the Mission 2 lander, which hard-landed on 2025-06-05 UTC, so it never collected regolith. NASA recorded interim milestones on its regolith contract in 2022. Completed MAGPIE Mission Definition Review (Sept 2025) and according to ispace-EUROPE, was awarded the EUR 65 million ESA Phase 2 contract (July 2026). The stated contract value is not a payment total.
Claimed or planned
ispace-EUROPE states MAGPIE will prospect for water ice and volatiles near the lunar south pole (launch planned 2029 on ispace Mission 4), and that it will integrate Magna Petra's NASA-built MSOLO mass spectrometer on a micro-rover for helium-3 reconnaissance under a USD 22 million payload agreement (October 2025). The 24 July 2026 ispace release names the MAGPIE consortium as the Technical University of Munich, the University of Oslo Centre for Space Sensors and Systems, RAL Space, ESR Technology, the Czech Technical University's Institute of Experimental and Applied Physics, and The Open University. Naming those partners is not a prospecting result.
Facts
- Headquarters
- Luxembourg
- Type
- Company
- Founded
- 2017
- Status
- Active (subsidiary)as of 2026-09-02. ispace-EUROPE and ESA marked the signing of the MAGPIE Phase 2 contract on 2026-09-01 (release dated 2026-09-02); ispace, inc. describes it as its Luxembourg-based European entity.
- Roles
- Rover / mobility, Prospecting
- Targets
- Moon
- Parent or acquirer
- ispace, inc.
- Also known as
- ispace Europe; ispace-EUROPE; ispace EU
- Website
- ispace-inc.com
Missions
5 records| Mission | Role | Launch or landing | Phase | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Magna Petra HALO (Helium Availability of Lunar Origin) reconnaissance payloadPayload | Operator | Not recorded | In development | Not applicable |
| SMBC x HAKUTO-R Venture Moon (ispace Mission 2, RESILIENCE lander)Spacecraft | Payload owner | 2025-01-15 | Ended | Failure |
| TENACIOUS micro-rover (ispace-EUROPE)Payload | Operator, Payload builder | 2025-01-15 | Ended | Failure |
| ispace Mission 4 (ULTRA lander; formerly Mission 6)Spacecraft | Payload owner | Planned 2029 (target) | In development | Not applicable |
| MAGPIE (Mission for Advanced Geophysics and Polar Ice Exploration) roverPayload | Operator, Payload builder | Planned 2029 (target) | Manifested | Not applicable |
Government authorizations held
| Country | Holder and mission | Instrument | Granted | Linked mission |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luxembourg | Luxembourg space resources mission authorisation to ispace EUROPE S.A. for the TENACIOUS micro-rover (2024)Holder: ispace EUROPE S.A. | Space resources authorization | 2024-11-22Granted | TENACIOUS micro-rover (ispace-EUROPE)Flew. Outcome: failure |
Dated events
Amounts are shown one at a time as each source states them. They are never added together.
- 2026-07-24
ESA MAGPIE Phase 2 contract to ispace-EUROPE (EUR 65 million)
ispace-EUROPE announced that ESA awarded it the EUR 65 million Phase 2 contract covering MAGPIE rover and payload development, transport to the lunar surface and surface operations, with ispace-EUROPE as mission prime; the signing was marked at ESA's Space for Inspiration event on 2026-09-01.
Sources (4) and evidence gaps
The contract, valued at €65 million, funds the full remaining delivery of the MAGPIE mission, including rover and payload development, manufacture, testing, transportation to the lunar surface and lunar surface operations.
ESA has agreed to funding the development and flight of MAGPIE, Europe's first lunar polar ice exploration rover, led by ispace-EUROPE
It follows ESA's July 2026 award of the €65 million Phase 2 contract to ispace-EUROPE.
ispace-EUROPE has been awarded a €65 million contract by the European Space Agency (ESA) to lead the development and execution of the MAGPIE mission.
- ESA's own page (esa.int) returned HTTP 403; basis kept as announced rather than official_award.
- 2025-10-06
ispace-EUROPE to provide MSOLO rover services for Magna Petra (USD 22 million PSA)
ispace-EUROPE announced a USD 22 million payload service agreement with Magna Petra to integrate NASA's MSOLO mass spectrometer on an ispace-EUROPE micro-rover for Magna Petra's HALO helium-3 reconnaissance mission; the release placed the rover on ispace-U.S.'s APEX 1.0 lander (then 'Mission 3').
Company statements only. No independent or government source is recorded here.
Sources (5) and evidence gaps
ispace-EUROPE and Magna Petra Corp. sign total amount of $22 million USD Payload Service Agreement (PSA) to carry NASA’s MSOLO instrument to the lunar surface on the Mission 3 rover.
ispace-EUROPE will integrate a NASA-developed Mass Spectrometer Observing Lunar Operations (MSOLO) instrument into its upcoming Mission 3 lunar micro-rover platform as part of Magna Petra's Helium Availability of Lunar Origin (HALO) reconnaissance mission.
The Mission 3 rover will fly on ispace technologies U.S.' (ispace-U.S.) APEX 1.0. lunar lander
This brings the total contract value for Mission 3 to $86 million USD, up from $64 million USD.
today announced the execution of a $22 million Payload Service Agreement (PSA) with ispace-EUROPE S.A.
- Which ispace mission now carries the MSOLO rover after the March 2026 renumbering and the July 2026 CP-12 termination is not stated.
- TSE timely-disclosure PDF not retrieved; payment terms and the effect of the March 2026 mission re-plan on this contract not disclosed.
- 2025-06-03
ESA MAGPIE pre-Phase A and Phase 1 contracts to ispace-EUROPE (EUR 2.695 million aggregate)
ispace-EUROPE announced a Phase 1 extension of its ESA pre-Phase A contract (awarded 2024-12-12) for the MAGPIE polar-ice rover mission; the two phases total EUR 2,695,000.
Company statements only. No independent or government source is recorded here.
Sources (1) and evidence gaps
ispace's MAGPIE concept was selected and awarded a pre-phase A contract on Dec. 12, 2024. Under the Phase 1 extension agreement, ispace-EUROPE will collaborate with ESA on the implementation of the lunar exploration mission. In aggregate, the value of the contracts for the two phases is €2,695,000
- ESA-side contract record not retrieved.
- 2025-04-11
Luxembourg's OST Article XI notification for ispace EUROPE's lunar activities
Luxembourg informed the UN Secretary-General under OST Art. XI of ispace EUROPE S.A.'s Mission 2 activities (regolith collection for NASA and surface exploration within about 100 m of the landing site), noting the authorisation held under the 2017 space resources law.
Sources (2)
Note verbale dated 11 April 2025 from the Permanent Mission of Luxembourg to the United Nations (Vienna) addressed to the Secretary-General
The mission includes the collection of lunar regolith to fulfil a resources purchase agreement with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration of the United States of America
- 2020-12-03
NASA lunar regolith purchase contract to ispace Europe, $5,000
NASA selected ispace Europe (Luxembourg) to collect lunar regolith and transfer ownership in place to NASA for $5,000. ispace states ispace EUROPE met interim milestones and received a payment in September 2022. The collection was planned with the TENACIOUS rover on Mission 2 under Luxembourg's authorisation; the lander was lost in a likely hard landing on 6 June 2025 and ispace concluded the mission, so no collection took place.
Sources (5) and evidence gaps
NASA has selected four companies to collect space resources and transfer ownership to the agency: Lunar Outpost of Golden, Colorado; Masten Space Systems of Mojave, California; ispace Europe of Luxembourg; and ispace Japan of Tokyo.
ispace Europe proposed collection for $5,000 following arrival in 2023 of a lander to the lunar South Pole.
Companies will receive 10% of their total proposed price upon award, will receive 10% upon launch, and the remaining 80% upon successful completion.
- [4]ispace Receives Interim Payment on Lunar Regolith Transfer Contract from NASA (22 September 2022)
The payment is for achieving milestones in the second contract held by ispace EU.
It has been decided to conclude the mission.
- Amount of the 2022 milestone payment not stated; current contract status after Mission 2 not stated in any retrieved source.
Open evidence gaps
- Founding year taken from ispace's statement that the European office opened in March 2017; Luxembourg company-register (RCS) record not retrieved.
- Current mission assignment of the Magna Petra MSOLO micro-rover after ispace's March 2026 mission renumbering and the July 2026 end of CLPS CP-12 is not stated in any source found.
Record history
changes to this record's facts, newest first
| Changed | Field | Was | Now | Reason | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-11-03 | resource activity (demonstrated) | Built the ~5 kg Tenacious micro-rover with an Epiroc-developed regolith shovel and obtained a mission authorization for it under Luxembourg's 2017 space resources law (which ispace-EUROPE describes as the first granted in Europe); the rover was stowed on the Mission 2 lander, which hard-landed on 2025-06-05 UTC, so it never collected regolith. NASA recorded interim milestones on its regolith contract in 2022. Completed MAGPIE Mission Definition Review (Sept 2025) and received the EUR 65 million ESA Phase 2 contract (July 2026). | Built the ~5 kg Tenacious micro-rover with an Epiroc-developed regolith shovel and obtained a mission authorization for it under Luxembourg's 2017 space resources law (which ispace-EUROPE describes as the first granted in Europe); the rover was stowed on the Mission 2 lander, which hard-landed on 2025-06-05 UTC, so it never collected regolith. NASA recorded interim milestones on its regolith contract in 2022. Completed MAGPIE Mission Definition Review (Sept 2025) and according to ispace-EUROPE, was awarded the EUR 65 million ESA Phase 2 contract (July 2026). The stated contract value is not a payment total. | Correction | [12] |
Sources
12 excerpts from 8 publicationsOne web address counts as one publication.
ispace EU opened in March 2017, under a cooperative agreement with the Government of Luxembourg's SpaceResources.lu initiative to support the commercialization of space resource development.
has obtained a mission authorization under the 2017 Luxembourg Space Resources Law to operate the TENACIOUS Micro Rover during the upcoming ispace, inc. (ispace), Mission 2.
The TENACIOUS Micro Rover, designed for lunar exploration and resource utilization, will execute key operations, including the collection and transfer of ownership of lunar regolith for ispace-EUROPE to execute a 2020 regolith contract signed with NASA.
ispace Europe proposed collection for $5,000 following arrival in 2023 of a lander to the lunar South Pole.
ispace EUROPE S.A. (ispace EU) met its interim milestones on its contract to acquire regolith from the lunar surface to sell to the space agency
The TENACIOUS micro rover is 26 cm tall, 31.5 cm wide, 54 cm long, and weighs approximately 5 kg.
ESA has agreed to funding the development and flight of MAGPIE, Europe's first lunar polar ice exploration rover, led by ispace-EUROPE
It follows ESA's July 2026 award of the €65 million Phase 2 contract to ispace-EUROPE.
The mission will travel to the Moon's south polar region to investigate the presence of water ice, map the distribution of hydrogen, and study the geological history of this unique environment.
ispace-EUROPE will integrate a NASA-developed Mass Spectrometer Observing Lunar Operations (MSOLO) instrument into its upcoming Mission 3 lunar micro-rover platform as part of Magna Petra's Helium Availability of Lunar Origin (HALO) reconnaissance mission.
ispace-EUROPE leads the consortium involved in the MAGPIE mission, which includes the Technical University of Munich (Germany), the Centre for Space Sensors and Systems at the University of Oslo (Norway), RAL Space (United Kingdom), ESR Technology (United Kingdom), the Institute of Experimental and Applied Physics at the Czech Technical University in Prague (Czech Republic), and The Open University (United Kingdom).
The contract, valued at €65 million, funds the full remaining delivery of the MAGPIE mission
Cite this record
SpaceMiningData, “ispace EUROPE S.A.”, dataset version a00fa2c68a45, built 2026-11-11, https://spaceminingdata.com/organizations/ispace-europe.html. Record checked 2026-10-04.