Full-Time
Legal Counsel
ispace
201-500 employees
Lunar payload transport and data services
Compensation Overview
$130k - $200k/yr
Englewood, CO, USA
Hybrid
Hybrid work arrangement in Englewood, Colorado.
JD
 Legal (1) |
|---|
Get referred to ispace
See people who can refer or advise you
- A J.D. from an accredited U.S. law school and active membership in good standing with at least one U.S. state bar.
- At least 5 years of relevant legal experience in a law firm, corporate legal department, government environment, or combination thereof.
- Experience drafting and negotiating commercial contracts.
- Strong business judgment with the ability to provide practical, solutions-oriented legal advice.
- Excellent written, verbal, organizational, and interpersonal skills.
- Ability to manage competing priorities in a dynamic, highly technical environment.
- Draft, review, and negotiate commercial agreements, including NDAs, supplier/vendor agreements, professional services agreements, licensing arrangements, partnerships, and customer contracts.
- Advise leadership and business teams on contractual obligations, risk, intellectual property, confidentiality, liability, and general corporate matters.
- Support U.S. government contracting matters, including FAR/DFARS requirements and contractual flow-downs.
- Provide guidance on ITAR, EAR, export controls, technology transfer, and international collaboration.
- Support compliance with applicable aerospace, commercial space, and government regulations.
- Partner with People Operations on employment law matters, policies, employee relations, investigations, and separation matters.
- Support corporate compliance programs, policies, risk management, and internal investigations.
- Coordinate with outside counsel and external advisors as needed.
- Collaborate with global ispace teams on cross-border agreements and international business activities.
- Experience in aerospace, defense, satellite, commercial space, or advanced technology.
- Experience with FAR/DFARS, ITAR, EAR, and U.S. export controls.
- Experience supporting NASA, Department of Defense, or other federal government customers.
- Knowledge of intellectual property, technology licensing, employment law, cybersecurity, or regulatory compliance.
- Experience working within a global organization.
ispace develops robotic lunar landers and rovers to provide high-frequency, low-cost transport of payloads to the Moon and to collect lunar data. Its offerings include Payload Services, which delivers customer payloads to lunar orbit or the surface, and Data Services, which provides lunar data to support mission planning and surface development. It differentiates itself by owning its own hardware, using agile development and off-the-shelf components to reduce costs, and pursuing multiple missions to build a steady lunar logistics flow with partners such as NASA under CLPS and the European Space Agency. The goal is to enable a growing lunar economy by making reliable, affordable Moon access and early lunar resource development, including water ice, available to scientists, governments, and industry.
Company Size
201-500
Company Stage
Post IPO Equity
Headquarters
Tokyo, Japan
Founded
2010
Get referred to ispace
See people who can refer or advise you
Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- ESA signed MAGPIE on July 23, 2026, validating ispace’s European execution capability.
- Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and SKY Perfect JSAT deepen launch and communications redundancy for 2028 missions.
- FY March 2026 cash reached ¥29.7 billion after the ¥18.2 billion offering.
What critics are saying
- Two failed landings, April 2023 and June 2025, destroy customer confidence quickly.
- FY March 2026 net loss hit ¥8.15 billion, while debt reached ¥29.4 billion.
- Mission delays and a 2030 U.S. mission slip threaten a financing spiral.
What makes ispace unique
- Japan-Made H3 launches Mission 3 ULTRA in 2028, combining domestic launch and landing.
- ESA’s €65 million MAGPIE rover contract makes ispace-EUROPE mission prime for 2029.
- ispace’s ULTRA lander targets high-frequency Moon transport using reused mission operations lessons.
Help us improve and share your feedback! Did you find this helpful?
Benefits
Housing Stipend
Paid Vacation
Remote Work Options
Flexible Work Hours
Health Insurance
401(k) Retirement Plan
401(k) Company Match
Conference Attendance Budget
Professional Development Budget
Wellness Program
Growth & Insights and Company News
6 month growth
↑ 0%1 year growth
↑ 0%2 year growth
↑ 0%ESA greenlights MAGPIE lunar rover for 2029, Space brief 2 Sep 2026. ESA signs agreement for MAGPIE, its first lunar rover, targeting 2029 south pole water-ice prospecting. Starship Flight 14 to attempt first orbital insertion. Top stories. ESA greenlights MAGPIE, its first lunar rover, for 2029 south pole mission. ESA and ispace-Europe signed the implementation agreement for MAGPIE (Mission for Advanced Geophysics and Polar Ice Exploration) at the Space for Inspiration event in Copenhagen. The rover will operate for roughly 10 Earth days at the lunar south pole, carrying a drill, volatile analyser, ground-penetrating radar, and neutron detector to prospect for water ice and map subsurface geology. Launch is planned for 2029 in partnership with JAXA. MAGPIE is part of ESA's Moon Explore initiative, which aims to develop lunar capabilities faster and cheaper than traditional programs. The water-detection data will feed directly into planning for sustained human presence at the south pole. Read the full story: ESA Sixth all-female spacewalk replaces ISS camera and docking hardware. Two astronauts conducted the sixth all-female spacewalk in ISS history, replacing an external camera and a docking aid on the station. The EVA adds to a slow but steady count: the first all-female spacewalk was only in October 2019. SpaceX FCC filing reveals Starship Flight 14 will attempt orbit for the first time. An FCC filing shows Starship's fourteenth flight test will target actual orbital insertion, a first for the program. Every previous Starship flight, including Flight 13's Indian Ocean splashdown on July 24, flew suborbital arcs. Flight 14 would carry roughly 20 Starlink V3 satellites, each rated for about 1 Tbit/s downlink, and if orbital insertion succeeds, those satellites could enter operational service. The ship itself will splashdown rather than attempt a tower catch, which Musk pushed to "a few months" later. RS-25 engines installed on Artemis III core stage. NASA has installed the RS-25 engines on the Space Launch System core stage for Artemis III, the mission that will return astronauts to the lunar surface. These are heritage engines with flight history stretching back through the Space Shuttle program, now adapted with new controllers and nozzle hardware for SLS. Read the full story: NASA Trump nominates acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao for permanent role. President Trump announced the formal nomination of Hung Cao, who has served as acting Navy Secretary since April, to hold the position permanently. Cao was confirmed as the Navy's number-two civilian last October. With Army Secretary Dan Driscoll's resignation this week, two of three military service secretary seats are now filled in acting capacity. The Senate has limited working days before November midterms, making quick confirmation unlikely. House advances continuing resolution extending defense funding through Dec. 11. House lawmakers advanced a continuing resolution that extends government funding to December 11, matching the Senate's earlier action. The CR keeps weapons programs funded at fiscal 2026 levels and prevents troop pay interruptions and civilian furloughs. Potential automatic cuts to reconciliation funds remain a risk if certain spending targets are not met by October. SpaceX to launch 27 Starlink satellites from Vandenberg on booster's 35th flight. A Falcon 9 is scheduled to lift off from Vandenberg SFB at 0842 UTC Wednesday carrying 27 Starlink V2 Mini satellites. The first stage, B1063, will fly for the 35th time. SpaceX has been consolidating Starlink launches on the West Coast as Cape Canaveral infrastructure pivots toward Starship's East Coast debut. Satellite of the day. GONETS-M 13 - GONETS-M 13, launched in 2015 from Plesetsk on a Rokot vehicle, has exceeded its 5-7 year design life at 1,500 km altitude, still relaying data across Russia's remote polar regions. By the numbers. * Active satellites tracked: 15,878 * Cataloged debris objects: 14,906 * New objects cataloged yesterday: 2 * Orbital launches this year: 208 (201 successful) * Next launch: Electron | Owl Around The World (StriX Launch 11) in about 2 hours (Sep 2, 11:11 UTC) Catalog watch. Space-Track cataloged 2 new objects in its latest daily accounting (2026-09-01), alongside 28,401 updated element sets. Reentry watch. * STARLINK-4455 (53500) - predicted decay Sep 3, 07:13 UTC, window +/-10 h (track live) * COSMOS 1030 DEB (12907) - predicted decay Sep 3, 11:52 UTC, window +/-12 h (track live) * STARLINK-1279 (45360) - predicted decay Sep 4, 05:17 UTC, window +/-12 h (track live) * STARLINK-1595 (46159) - predicted decay Sep 4, 17:50 UTC, window +/-14 h (track live) * STARLINK-2159 (47745) - predicted decay Sep 5, 05:00 UTC, window +/-16 h (track live) Upcoming Space launches. Schedule changes. * Newly added: SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5 | USSF-xxx ("R-2"), scheduled for Sep 10, 15:37 UTC. * Slipped: Falcon 9 Block 5 | Starlink Group 15-23 moved from Sep 2, 07:46 UTC to Sep 2, 08:42 UTC. * Slipped: Electron | Owl Around The World (StriX Launch 11) moved from Sep 2, 11:00 UTC to Sep 2, 11:11 UTC. Next 48 hours. * Rocket Lab Electron - Owl Around The World (StriX Launch 11) from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand (Sep 2, 11:11 UTC) Synthetic aperture radar satellite for Japanese Earth imaging company Synspective. Watch Live * Indian Space Research Organization GSLV Mk. II - GISAT-1A (EOS-05) from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, India (Sep 3, 21:25 UTC) GISAT-1A (GEO Imaging Satellite) is an Indian earth observing satellite operating from geostationary orbit to facilitate continuous observation of Indian sub-continent, quick monitoring of natural hazards and disaster. Watch Live See every upcoming mission on the live schedule: Upcoming Launches Note: Launch dates and times are subject to change due to technical or weather considerations. Maurice Stellarski. Maurice Stellarski is the Chief Coordination Officer (CCO) of the Civilian Cardboard Command Center Protocol (CCCCP). With over 25 years of self-certified experience in NEATS (Non-Existent Aerospace Tracking Systems), Maurice specializes in predicting launches with uncanny accuracy using his proprietary KITCHEN (Knowledge Integration Technology Combined with Household Equipment Network) methodology. When not monitoring his mission control center, Maurice maintains the world's largest collection of mission-critical authorization stamps and hosts the underground podcast 'Countdown to Breakfast: Uncensored Launch News.'
China's iSpace raises first batch of series E funding for reusable rocketry. HELSINKI - Chinese reusable launch vehicle maker has secured a first batch of series E funding, months after a huge D++ round, with fundraising still ongoing. The funding is the opening raise of a planned series E round, securing iSpace nearly $148 million (1 billion yuan), according to STCN, a Chinese financial news outlet. The round was dominated by asset investment companies affiliated with China's major state banks, following a trend of such investment triggered by strong central government signalling of the strategic importance of commercial space. The new funding will go towards research and mass production of the Hyperbola-3 reusable launch vehicle, the capacity to manufacture the Focus-2 methane-liquid oxygen engine, launch and sea recovery infrastructure, and the pre-research of heavy-lift launch vehicle technology. The development follows iSpace securing a record $729 million in February this year, dedicated to reusable rocketry and expanding the company's industrial footprint. That round was driven by government industrial funds, state-linked strategic ecosystem investors, municipal and provincial investment vehicles and private equity. iSpace has been working towards a first launch of its first liquid propellant rocket, the Hyperbola-3, previously aiming for a test launch in 2025. The launcher has a reported payload capacity of 8,500 kilograms to low Earth orbit in reusable mode and 13,400 kg to LEO in expendable mode. The most recent statements call for the debut flight of the two-stage, 69-meters-long Hyperbola-3 before the end of 2026, with an attempted first stage recovery attempt as part of the mission. The company launched what it described as the country's first rocket recovery ship in August 2025, with the vessel subsequently undergoing testing. "Interstellar Return" is 100 meters long and 42 meters wide and is designed to recover the first stage of the Hyperbola-3 rocket and can accommodate recovery of other medium- and large-scale reusable rockets. China completed its first orbital booster recovery in July when another vessel, equipped with a net-capture system, caught the first stage of the first Long March 10B rocket. Landspace's Zhuque-3 was due to launch and make a second recovery attempt Aug. 10, but wind conditions apparently forced a rescheduling to an as yet undisclosed time, with the delay becoming apparent shortly after the explosion and loss of a Long March 7A rocket earlier Aug. 10. In terms of IPO, iSpace plans to list on the STAR Market in the second half of 2027, according to reports, following the expected debut of the Hyperbola-3. It is among a number of major commercial Chinese launch companies making such moves, along with Landspace, Orienspace, CAS Space, Space Pioneer and Galactic Energy. The moves come amid a wider wave of capital flowing into China's commercial space sector. The company became the first Chinese commercial firm to reach orbit in July 2019 with the Hyperbola-1 solid rocket, yet the launcher has since flown just seven more times, including four failures. The latest mission flew, successfully, in July 2025. iSpace faces strong competition, with Landspace having successfully reached orbit with Zhuque-3, Galactic Energy set to debut Pallas-1 in the near future, CAS Space reaching orbit with Kinetica-2, and Space Pioneer having already made a launch attempt with Tianlong-3. The companies are competing for launch contracts for China's megaconstellations, with launch reliability, recovery and reuse, and cadence likely determining their success or otherwise.
Japan's lunar leap: ispace and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries partner for 2028 Moon Mission. 2 minutes read A major milestone for Japan's space sector has taken shape as private lunar exploration company ispace, inc. and defense and aerospace giant Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) signed a commercial launch contract. Under this deal, MHI's next-generation H3 rocket will carry ispace's upcoming Mission 3 ULTRA Lunar Lander into space, with the launch targeted for 2028. This partnership marks the very first time a domestically produced Japanese rocket and a Japanese-built lander will work together on a mission to the lunar surface. For Japan's aerospace industry, this collaboration represents a giant step toward establishing independent commercial access to the Moon and expanding the country's footprint in the growing cislunar economy. A new chapter for lunar transportation. Launches which are secure and predictable play a key role in the success of any space strategy in the long term. In securing the deal with MHI, ispace will have the ability to tap into Japan's best launch operator, thus ensuring that there are heavy lift capability and reliability during their mission. The lander used in this mission is known as ULTRA, and it is a high-performance lander which is currently under development by ispace. The funding of its development is partly due to a Small Business Innovation Research grant from the Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. This is based on the lessons gained from previous missions where ispace was able to prove its capabilities to make it to the orbit of the moon within several months of travel. MHI has many years of experience in developing Japanese space technology. Its most famous launch vehicle is known as H3 which will take over the roles of the successful H-IIA and H-IIB. Beyond launch services: building lunar infrastructure. Though the current deal centers on the 2028 launch, the connection between these two companies runs beyond this. ispace and MHI have already agreed to investigate ways to collaborate more on future moon-related initiatives. This involves working together on the construction of lunar infrastructure as well as the technologies needed to operate in space. The collaboration between MHI, which provides launch services, and ispace, which is specialized in designing and operating landers, will create a turnkey and Japanese-operated solution for lunar transport from the start of the flight on Earth to its conclusion on the Moon. Industry leaders view Mission 3 as a key milestone. Both organizations' executives were optimistic regarding the potential implications of their collaborative effort for the future of commercial space travel in Japan. Takeshi Hakamada, Founder, and CEO of ispace, made it clear that by using the H3 rocket to launch the ULTRA lander, there are new opportunities opened up for private sector organizations to explore the Moon. Mission 3 is crucial towards making lunar transportation a regular business. Iwao Igarashi, Vice President and Senior General Manager of Space Systems at MHI, said that it was an honor to launch this mission on the H3 rocket. He made it clear that MHI seeks to use its operational experience to make the lander reach orbit successfully while exploring new opportunities for Japanese private space exploration.
ispace and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries agree to launch Mission 3 ULTRA Lunar Lander aboard H3 rocket. 07.29.2026 First Japanese Lunar Landing Mission Launched by Japanese Rocket TOKYO - July 29, 2026 - ispace, inc. (ispace) (TOKYO: 9348), a global lunar exploration company, and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) (TOKYO: 7011) announced today that the two companies signed a contract for launch and transportation services for ispace's Mission 3 ULTRA Lunar Lander using MHI's H3 rocket currently scheduled for 2028. A computer-generated image of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries' H3 rocket and ispace's ULTRA lunar lander. Through the agreement, ispace secures Japan's most reliable launch capability provided by MHI and strengthens its framework to ensure the reliable execution and success of the ULTRA mission. The launch and lunar mission represent the first time a Japanese-made lunar lander and a Japanese-made rocket will work in tandem, taking a groundbreaking step in extending Japan's space capabilities and industry to the Moon, symbolizing a new era of lunar exploration. During its two previous lunar missions, ispace has demonstrated the ability to reliably reach lunar orbit while conducting months-long transport missions. Leveraging that mission operations experience and technical expertise, ispace is currently developing a new lander, ULTRA, with funding from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry's Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant. ispace's ULTRA, offering higher performance, higher quality, and faster access to the Moon, will be used to establish a high-frequency, low-cost transportation service to the lunar surface. MHI is a core developer of Japan's space industry for decades. Currently, the company is developing and manufacturing the H3 rocket, a next-generation heavy-lift launch vehicle that will replace the H-IIA and H-IIB rockets. Moving forward, the company will continue to support a wide range of space missions both in Japan and abroad by providing stable launch services using the H3 rocket and remains committed to the development of the space industry. An image of Iwao Igarashi, Vice President & Senior General Manager, MHI and Takeshi Hakamada, Founder & CEO of ispace at a signing ceremony held at ispace headquarters in Tokyo, Japan. Securing reliable launch services is an essential element for the stable growth of Japan's space industry. Combining MHI's proven launch technology with ispace's track record in lander development and operations realizes a launch-to-landing lunar transport system via collaboration between the two Japanese commercial companies. In addition, the two companies have agreed to explore ways to strengthen their cooperation not only in transportation services but also in the future construction of lunar infrastructure and related technologies. Together they will continue to promote the formation of a full-scale lunar transportation system that unites Japan domestic industries, thereby contributing to the expansion of Japan's space industry infrastructure and the creation of the cislunar economy. Statement of Takeshi Hakamada, Founder & CEO of ispace, inc. "I am very pleased to sign this launch services contract to launch ULTRA using the H3 rocket. The fact that a lander developed by ispace will be carried aboard the H3 rocket, carrying forward the legacy of Japan's domestically produced rockets with their proven operational track record, as it heads for the Moon symbolizes new possibilities for a Japanese private company to take the lead in advancing lunar development. The success of Mission 3 is a crucial milestone in ispace's early commercialization phase, and I am confident that utilizing the H3 rocket will enable us to establish a reliable lunar transportation system," said Takeshi Hakamada, Founder & CEO of ispace. Iwao Igarashi, Vice President & Senior General Manager, Space Systems Division, Integrated Defense & Space Systems, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. "It is a great honor for us to provide launch services for ispace's Mission 3 ULTRA, using the H3 rocket. By leveraging the rocket technology and operational track record that Mitsubishi Heavy Industries has cultivated, we will contribute to the mission's success by safely and reliably delivering the lander into space. With an eye toward new collaborations in private-sector-led lunar development, we look forward to working with ispace to pioneer new possibilities for Japan's space industry," said Iwao Igarashi, Vice President and Senior General Manager of Space Systems at MHI. ispace, a global lunar resource development company with the vision, "Expand our planet. Expand our future.", specializes in designing and building lunar landers 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, and the United States with more than 300 employees worldwide. For more information, visit: www.ispace-inc.com and follow Ispace Inc on X: @ispace_inc. About Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Group Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group is one of the world's leading industrial groups, spanning energy, smart infrastructure, industrial machinery, aerospace and defense. MHI Group combines cutting-edge technology with deep experience to deliver innovative, integrated solutions that help to realize a carbon neutral world, improve the quality of life and ensure a safer world. 20260729 M3 MHI Launch Agreement
China reusable rocket launch costs drop by two-thirds: CZ-10B net recovery success marks reusable rocket era as space economy reaches trillion-yuan inflection point. Published: July 27, 2026 Want to read in a language you're more familiar with? China first CZ-10B net-based rocket recovery opens reusable era with 60-70% cost reduction, as space economy paradigm shifts from disposable launches to reusable assets across commercial and government programs. China achieved first recoverable rocket stage on July 10, 2026 as CZ-10B was captured by net recovery on Navigator vessel. Projected to cut launch costs 60-70%. The net-capture system differs from SpaceX tower catch: after separation the stage glides and synchronizes with the moving ship before steel-rope net absorption. The net-capture approach offers specific advantages over the tower catch method. While SpaceX Starship tower catch requires fixed ground infrastructure with millimeter-level precision and zero error tolerance, the net-capture system relaxes terminal error margins to up to 10 meters, reducing control accuracy requirements and associated landing fuel reserves. The net system also does not require the rocket to carry landing legs, reducing dry mass and increasing payload capacity. However, the tower catch method enables shorter turnaround cycles since the rocket remains suspended on the tower for immediate inspection and refurbishment. SpaceX founder Elon Musk has stated Starship aims to achieve one launch per hour within three years through the tower catch approach. China reusable rocket program is not limited to the government-led CZ-10B. Commercial space companies have achieved or are approaching first-stage recovery. CAS Space Lijian-1 completed 15 missions deploying 110 satellites and is developing reusable variants. Deep Blue Aerospace Nebula-1 successfully completed a kilometer-scale vertical takeoff and landing jump test using the same liquid oxygen-kerosene engines that power the orbital vehicle. LandSpace and iSpace are developing reusable methane-liquid oxygen rockets with first-flight targets by 2028. Galaxy Energy and Orienspace Gravity-2 reusable liquid rocket targets Q4 2026 for first launch. The competition among government and commercial programs is accelerating the overall pace of Chinese reusable rocket development. Reusable rockets unlock satellite constellations, space-based computing, in-space manufacturing, and space tourism. GGV Capital analogizes the transition to the caravel-to-galleon shift during the Age of Discovery: space becomes predictable commercial transport. GGV estimates launch volume 10-20x growth over the next decade. The space economy reaches multiple trillions as connectivity and sensing become viable. China builds a transportation ecosystem where rockets are reusable assets with predictable costs.