A Japan-based company developing robotic spacecraft technology, ispace inc., will locate its newest operations center in Denver, Colorado.

The new ispace headquarters will be located in the greater Metro Denver area and house its executive management, sales and marketing, and R&D activity. Growth opportunities for subsequent manufacturing needs are also under consideration.

ispace’s Colorado based US headquarters joins company operations in Luxembourg and Japan to provide ispace with a physical presence in all three original signatory countries of the Artemis Accords, an international agreement for cooperative civil space exploration.

“Colorado’s dynamic aerospace ecosystem and abundance of talent strongly align with our aggressive hiring plan,” said ispace CEO Kyle Acierno. “As we evaluated locations, we were also impressed by Colorado’s inclusive, collaborative environment and its leadership in the space industry. This process has been smooth, and we are deeply appreciative of the local, state and federal partnerships that supported our headquarter search.”

“Colorado is a proven leader in the aerospace sector and one of the best places to live and to start or run a business. ispace joins Adams County’s Spaceport and Colorado Springs’ Space Command to further reinforce that the path to space exploration and the good paying jobs that come with it goes through Colorado,” said Governor Jared Polis.

According to state officials, Colorado’s aerospace industry density, highly skilled workforce, and job growth incentives were key considerations in the ispace decision.The Denver Metro region is more competitive and more attractive than competing markets in part due to lower costs associated with market entry as well as the strong partnership between the State, local economic development partners and the industry.

The company builds landers and rovers to compete for both transportation and exploration mission contracts from space agencies and private industry.

“ispace is a natural fit with Colorado’s robust aerospace sector,” said OEDIT Executive Director Betsy Markey. “Colorado earns the largest number of NASA and US Government contracts outside of Washington, DC and our talented workforce enables growth. Given the role that the ispace lunar lander is poised to play in continued space transport and discovery, the future for ispace and Colorado’s aerospace sector is bright.”