Luxembourg / Turin, 12 October – ispace-EUROPE S.A. (“ispace-EUROPE”), the Luxembourg-based European entity of ispace, inc. (“ispace”), and ALTEC – Aerospace Logistics Technology Engineering Company S.p.A. (“ALTEC”), an Italian centre of excellence for engineering and logistics services supporting space operations and planetary exploration missions, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (“MoU”) to explore collaboration on lunar rover testing, mission simulations and operational training.
Vincenzo Giorgio, CEO of ALTEC, and Julien-Alexandre Lamamy, CEO of ispace-EUROPE, following the ceremonial signing of the MoU at the 77th International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Antalya, Türkiye.
Under the MoU, ispace-EUROPE and ALTEC will assess opportunities for ispace-EUROPE to use ALTEC facilities to simulate rover platform operations in lunar analogue environments. The collaboration may include functional testing of lunar rover platforms and ancillary devices, mission simulations, operator rehearsals, subsystem and system-level verification and validation activities, and targeted training and certification campaigns for ispace-EUROPE’s lunar mission operations team. The agreement will also explore broader cooperation potentially related to lunar exploration technologies, lunar mobility, and space resource utilization.
Based in Turin, Italy, ALTEC is a public-private company owned by Thales Alenia Space and the Italian Space Agency (ASI). Since 2019, ALTEC has operated the Rover Operations Control Centre (ROCC), the mission control facility for ESA’s ExoMars Rosalind Franklin rover, which is currently used for ground testing of rover systems. ALTEC is also developing a new Lunar Simulation Centre, funded by the Italian Space Agency (ASI), dedicated to the simulation and testing of robotic lunar exploration missions and related operational activities. The new facility will provide analogue environments and capabilities to support the testing and validation of technologies, systems and operational concepts for future lunar missions, further strengthening Italy’s role in planetary exploration.
For ispace-EUROPE, the collaboration represents an important opportunity to expand access to specialized European testing and mission operations infrastructure as the company advances its family of lunar rover systems and future surface mobility missions.
Julien-Alexandre Lamamy, CEO of ispace-EUROPE, said: “Testing, simulation and operator training in analogue lunar environments are essential to successful lunar surface operations. Through this collaboration with ALTEC, we have the opportunity to bring together ispace-EUROPE’s expertise in lunar rover development and operations with ALTEC’s advanced lunar analogue facilities, as well as their expertise testing for planetary mission operations.
“This agreement reflects the growing strength of Europe’s lunar exploration ecosystem. By working with leading partners across Europe, like ALTEC, we can accelerate the development of robust, operationally ready rover systems that support future science, exploration and space resource utilization missions on the Moon.”
Vincenzo Giorgio, CEO of ALTEC, said: “This MoU with ispace-EUROPE is an opportunity to build on ALTEC’s experience in planetary mission operations and to further develop our capabilities in support of future lunar exploration. The development of our new Lunar Simulation Centre, funded by the Italian Space Agency, will provide an important platform for testing, simulation and operational support of robotic lunar missions. We look forward to exploring with ispace-EUROPE how these capabilities can support the development, validation and operations of lunar rover technologies and contribute to a stronger European lunar exploration ecosystem.”
As lunar exploration moves toward more frequent and complex surface missions, the ability to test, validate, and rehearse rover operations in realistic analogue environments will become increasingly important. This MoU supports the development of European capability in this area and reinforces the shared ambition of both organizations to enable safe, reliable and effective lunar surface operations.
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About ispace, inc. (https://ispace-inc.com)
ispace, a global lunar exploration company with the vision, “Expand our planet. Expand our future.”, specializes in designing and building lunar landers, orbital transfer vehicles and rovers. ispace aims to extend the sphere of human life into space and create a sustainable world by providing high-frequency, low-cost transportation services to the Moon. The company has business entities in Japan, Luxembourg, the United States and Saudi Arabia, with more than 300 employees worldwide. For more information, visit: www.ispace-inc.com and follow us on X: @ispace_inc.
About ALTEC (www.atlecspace.it)
ALTEC – Aerospace Logistics Technology Engineering Company S.p.A. is an Italian public-private company owned by Thales Alenia Space and the Italian Space Agency (ASI), based in Turin, Italy. With more than 20 years of experience, ALTEC provides engineering, logistics and operational services supporting human and robotic space exploration and planetary missions. Since 2019, ALTEC has operated the Rover Operations Control Centre (ROCC) for ESA’s ExoMars Rosalind Franklin mission and is developing new capabilities for future lunar robotic missions, including a Lunar Simulation Centre funded by the Italian Space Agency (ASI). For more information, visit: www.altecspace.it. and follow us on LinkedIn @Altec-spa
Source: www.ispace-inc.com
