Tokyo-based ispace gave a mission update last month, saying the probe had reached its furthest distance from Earth and was due to touch down on the moon's surface in late April. The company has a contract with NASA to ferry payloads to the moon from 2025 and is aiming to build a permanently staffed lunar colony by 2040. ($1 = 137.5200 yen) ($1 = 137.5600 yen) (Reporting by Rocky Swift; editing by Jason Neely and Kim Coghill)
(Adds details on moon rover mission)
TOKYO, March 8 (Reuters) - Japan's ispace Inc., aiming
to be the first commercial company to land a probe on the moon,
announced on Wednesday an initial public offering of its shares.
The start-up is authorised to list 200 million shares and
will debut on the Tokyo Stock Exchange's growth section on April
12, according to a release from the exchange, which lists the
company's business as lunar development and transportation
services.
The public offering will be 24.7 million shares with an
overallotment option of another 1.2 million. The Nikkei
newspaper said the shares may be priced at 244 yen ($1.77) each.
In December the company's HAKUTO-R Mission 1 lunar lander
was launched aboard a SpaceX rocket which took off from Cape
Canaveral, Florida, carrying two robotic rovers.
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