Lunar transportation start-up ispace Inc had a blistering market debut in Tokyo on Wednesday as investors scrambled to buy shares in the company that aims to land the first commercial probe on the moon.They were being quoted at their daily upper price limit of 585 yen at the end of the session on the Tokyo stock exchange’s growth market, more than double the initial public offer price of 254 yen.
“IPOs that fit with national policy themes tend to be successful, as is the case with biotech ventures,” he said. If successful, it will mark the first ever lunar landing by a private company. Only the governments of the United States, Russia and China have nailed such a feat, with landing attempts by India and a private Israeli company ending in failure in recent years.ispace has a contract with NASA to ferry payloads to the moon from 2025 and is targeting building a permanently staffed lunar colony by 2040.