Japan’s ispace Inc. to list shares in Tokyo ahead of planned moon landing

Japan’s ispace Inc., aiming to be the first commercial company to land a probe on the moon, announced on Wednesday an initial public offering of its shares.

The start-up is authorized to list 200 million shares on the Tokyo Stock Exchange’s growth section on April 12, according to a release from the exchange, which lists the company’s business as lunar development and transportation services.

In December the company launched its HAKUTO-R Mission 1 lunar lander aboard a SpaceX rocket which took off Cape Canaveral, Florida, carrying two robotic rovers.

Tokyo-based ispace gave a mission update last month, saying the probe had reached its furthest distance from Earth and was due to touch down on the moon’s surface in late April.

The company has a contract with NASA to ferry payloads to the moon from 2025 and is aiming to build a permanently staffed lunar colony by 2040.