Lunar exploration company ispace-Europe, the Luxembourg-based European entity of ispace, inc, 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,” said ispace-Europe.
“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 …
“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: “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.”