A NASA-funded lunar mission led by Draper and involving American aerospace firm ispace U.S. has been delayed from 2026 to 2027 due to a major change in propulsion systems. The delay was confirmed by ispace U.S., a subsidiary of Japan’s ispace, in a statement issued on May 9.
The APEX 1.0 lander from ispace U.S. Credit: ispace U.S.
The Apex 1.0 lunar lander, being developed under NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, will now use a newly developed engine called VoidRunner, replacing the previously planned A2200 engine from Agile Space Industries. The A2200, a bipropellant engine generating approximately 2,200 newtons of thrust, was deemed unlikely to be delivered on schedule following a joint review by ispace U.S. and Agile.
The VoidRunner engine, co-developed by both companies, features a simplified design incorporating a proprietary valve system from ispace U.S. Though specific technical details were not disclosed, the companies highlighted that the engine requires only a quarter of the parts compared to traditional systems, which simplifies the overall architecture of the lander. VoidRunner has already undergone vacuum testing by Agile.
However, integrating the new engine necessitates redesigns of the Apex 1.0 lander, resulting in a launch delay for Mission 3 to 2027.
“Agile is committed to ensuring our technology fully empowers ispace’s Mission 3 to success,” said Agile Space Industries CEO Chris Pearson. “VoidRunner not only meets performance expectations but also supports long-term mission efficiency.”
Elizabeth Kryst, CEO of ispace U.S., added, “We are confident in the new propulsion system and renewed collaboration with Agile.”
Mission 3, also known as CP-12 under NASA’s CLPS initiative, will land in the Schrödinger Basin on the Moon’s farside. It will carry scientific instruments including seismometers, a heat flow probe, and electromagnetic sensors to study the lunar interior and surface environment. NASA originally awarded Draper a $73 million contract for the mission in 2022, with an initial target launch in 2025.
To maintain communication with Earth from the Moon’s farside, the mission will also deploy two relay satellites, Alpine and Lupine, built by ispace U.S. using satellite buses from Blue Canyon Technologies. These satellites will be available for other functions following the mission.
Despite an official NASA listing on May 7 still targeting a late-2026 launch for CP-12, the delay makes Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost 2 mission the likely first CLPS mission to attempt a landing on the Moon’s farside.
Meanwhile, ispace U.S. continues to expand its CLPS ambitions. On April 8, the company announced a partnership with Redwire to collaborate on future lunar lander missions. Redwire, which joined CLPS through its 2020 acquisition of Deep Space Systems, has yet to secure a CLPS task order but remains eligible for future selections.
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