TOKYO, Sept 28 (Reuters) - Japan's lunar transport startup ispace inc (9348.T) said on Thursday it would postpone a future moon landing mission by a year to 2026 to better prepare for a commission by U.S. agency NASA, as well as deal with component supply delays.
Tokyo-based ispace attempted its first lunar landing with the Hakuto-R Mission 1 spacecraft in April, which failed due to an altitude miscalculation.
The U.S. unit of ispace, which has partnered with spacecraft software developer Draper to build lunar landers, has also encountered procurement delays for some parts, Hakamada said.
Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Group, a MS&AD (8725.T) unit, paid 3.7 billion yen last month to ispace for Hakuto-R Mission 1's failure.
The unsuccessful landing resulted in a steep sell-off, but the shares have since recovered, closing on Thursday at 1,401 yen.
Persons:
ispace, Takeshi Hakamada, Draper, Hakamada, Kantaro Komiya, Himani Sarkar, Miral
Organizations:
U.S, NASA, Financial Times, Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Group, Tokyo Stock Exchange, Thomson
Locations:
TOKYO, Tokyo, U.S