ESA Awards ispace-EUROPE Contract for Execution of MAGPIE, ESA's First Lunar Rover

ispace-EUROPE S.A. (“ispace-EUROPE”), the Luxembourg-based European entity of ispace, inc. (“ispace”), has been awarded Phase 2 of the MAGPIE contract, the Mission for Advanced Geophysics and Polar Ice Exploration by the European Space Agency (“ESA”).

The agreement represents ESA's commitment to funding MAGPIE, Europe's first lunar polar ice exploration rover and its flight. MAGPIE will investigate the Moon's south polar region, advancing scientific understanding of lunar volatiles, water ice stability and regolith properties while supporting future resource prospecting to enable lunar exploration.

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.

The award follows ispace-EUROPE carrying out MAGPIE's Design Prototype Review. Phase 2, which commenced on 1 July 2026, marks the beginning of full mission development, with work beginning immediately towards the next major milestone, the Structural Thermal Model Manufacturing Readiness Review.

Under the contract, ispace-EUROPE will serve as mission prime, leading mission design, science objectives development, rover development, payload integration and mission operations.

Working in close partnership with ESA and the MAGPIE consortium, ispace-EUROPE will deliver an innovative surface mission, providing not only the mission design, rover platform and mission operations but also the scientific data returned from the mission. Sophia Casanova, Senior Lunar Exploration Scientist at ispace-EUROPE, will serve as Principal Investigator for MAGPIE.

MAGPIE is scheduled to fly aboard ispace's Mission 4 lunar lander in 2029. In January 2026, ispace was selected by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) to implement its proposal for the “High Precision Landing Technology in the Lunar Polar Regions” project under the second phase of Japan's Space Strategy Fund. The technology will be implemented by ispace's Mission 4. Enabled through collaboration between ESA and JAXA, transportation of the MAGPIE mission on ispace Mission 4 combines European scientific objectives with Japanese-funded lunar transportation capabilities, demonstrating a new model for international cooperation in lunar exploration.

Julien-Alexandre Lamamy, CEO of ispace-EUROPE said: “MAGPIE represents a major step forward for European lunar exploration. This contract award demonstrates ESA's commitment to a new model for small, agile exploration missions — one that combines commercial delivery, scientific ambition and international collaboration.

ispace-EUROPE is proud to lead the full delivery of MAGPIE, from mission design and rover development through to lunar surface operations and delivery of science data to ESA. This is exactly the kind of mission that can help Europe build operational capability on the Moon.”

Sara Pastor, ESA Lunar Programme Manager said: “MAGPIE exemplifies ESA's commitment to delivering ambitious exploration objectives through innovative, rapid-development missions and strong international cooperation. By exploring and characterising volatile deposits in the lunar polar regions and searching for water ice that could support a sustained human presence on the Moon, MAGPIE will provide critical knowledge for the next phase of lunar exploration. The mission also reflects the growing cooperation between ESA and JAXA in lunar exploration, combining complementary capabilities to address common exploration challenges. Bringing together leading industrial and scientific organisations from across Europe, ispace with MAGPIE demonstrates how ESA's small missions for exploration can accelerate the development of high-value scientific and technological capabilities while strengthening Europe's contribution to a sustainable future on the Moon.”

This contract award highlights the growing strategic relationship between Europe and Japan in lunar exploration. By combining the scientific ambitions and lunar exploration objectives of ESA, JAXA and ispace, MAGPIE demonstrates a practical model for international cooperation in the cislunar economy.