(Toronto, ON – November 17, 2022) Canadensys Aerospace Corporation is pleased to announce that the Canadensys lunar cameras designed and built with partial co-funding from the Canadian Space Agency’s Lunar Exploration Accelerator Program (LEAP) and carried by ispace’s Mission 1, passed integration testing and among other things successfully imaged the UAE Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) Lunar Rashid Rover in Lampoldshausen, Germany. This is part of the final integration testing of the ispace lunar lander, prior to its launch to the moon on a SpaceX rocket from Florida, scheduled for later this month. The ispace lander will undergo an approximate five-month transit to the Moon prior to conducting the landing. Carried aboard the lander, are both the UAE rover and a separate Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) rover. The Canadensys multi-camera imaging system will document rover deployment.
Jonathan Knaul, Director Strategic Initiatives at Canadensys Toronto, stated “We are pleased about the results of this test, which used a burst mode and demonstrates the ability of our cameras to take very clear and detailed images.” Takeshi Hakamada, Founder and CEO at ispace added “We are honoured that Canadensys Aerospace has entrusted ispace to carry their payload to the lunar surface. We are looking forward to the imagery to show the world the progress our mission is making, and we are pleased that our transportation service can contribute to multiple developments in creating the Cis-lunar ecosystem.” Dr. Hamad Almarzooqi, Project Manager of the Emirates Lunar Mission at MBRSC commented, “With the assistance of our partners, we have made tremendous progress on the mission. The team at Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre is looking forward to the mission, and each test clearance increases our confidence in a successful mission. We look forward to the images that will follow as part of the mission.”
Christian Sallaberger, Canadensys President and CEO, added “It has been a great experience working with our Japanese and UAE partners, and we are honoured to be contributing to the success of this very exciting mission.”
About Canadensys Aerospace
Canadensys Aerospace Corporation is one of Canada’s most innovative space systems companies servicing customers around the world. We blend our advanced space hardware capabilities with smart, ruggedized designs to develop unique solutions for planetary, orbital and terrestrial environments based on modern, commercial business approaches to space program and mission development.
About ispace
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 offices in Japan, Luxembourg, and the United States with more than 200 employees worldwide.
About MBRSC
Established in 2006, the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre is the incubator of the UAE National Space Programme. The MBRSC has built, developed, and operated several Earth observation satellites, providing a spectrum of imaging services, as well as providing relevant data to scientific communities and to research centres worldwide. MBRSC also has an active Moon and Mars mission programme.
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