ispace, inc.

(Senior) Lunar Scientist

ispace, inc.  •  Luxembourg, LU (Onsite)  •  4 days ago
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Job Description

Join ispace EUROPE – Pioneering Lunar Exploration from Luxembourg
With locations in Japan, Luxembourg, and the US, ispace is a global leader in lunar exploration. Our European branch, based in Luxembourg, is uniquely positioned at the heart of rover design, development, and operations. We’re building the foundations of a sustainable lunar economy — and expanding humanity’s reach beyond Earth. At ispace EU, engineers, business experts, and creatives work side by side to turn bold ideas into reality, driven by our mission: “Expand our Planet, Expand our Future.”
TITLE (Senior) Lunar Scientist LOCATION: Luxembourg
ABOUT THE ROLE The (Senior) Lunar Scientist will contribute to the scientific definition, planning, and execution of ispace’s lunar rover and lander missions. Working closely with the science program lead within the ispace Europe Mission Design & Operations Team, you will help shape science objectives, target selection, traverse design, and surface activity planning. The central part of the role is producing geological and operational mapping products to support rover mission planning. This includes integrating remote-sensing datasets and analyzing terrain conditions, environmental constraints, and candidate science targets. You will work closely with mission operations and engineering teams to ensure scientific objectives can be executed safely within rover mobility and operational constraints. The role also includes contributing to pre-mission readiness activities, simulation campaigns, and post-mission data interpretation to maximize scientific return.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

  • Support science target selection, surface activity planning, and traverse design for rover missions ensuring analyses can be translated into clear operational guidance.
  • Develop lunar geological and operational maps for rover mission planning by integrating imagery, spectral datasets, topographic models, and illumination data.
  • Assess terrain conditions, slopes, surface roughness, and potential hazards to support safe rover mobility and traverse planning.
  • Assist the development and maintenance of science traceability, ensuring that objectives, observation requirements, and planned activities remain aligned throughout mission design and operations.
  • Participate in pre-mission readiness activities, including field testing simulation campaigns and validation of operational constraints against science intent.
  • Work closely with Mission Operations and Engineering teams to align science objectives within system constraints. 
  • Support rover mission operations from the science backroom providing input to daily activity and traverse planning.
  • Contribute to post-mission data analysis, reporting, and scientific publication.

KEY REQUIREMENTS

  • Master’s degree or Ph.D. in Planetary Science, Geology, Geophysics, or a related field.
  • 5+ years of relevant experience in planetary or lunar science, or equivalent research experience, including data analysis or mission participation.
  • Solid understanding of lunar geology, polar processes, and volatile stability indicators.
  • Experience working with planetary remote-sensing datasets, including orbital imagery topographic, thermal and spectral data.
  • Experience with GIS and geospatial data toolchains (e.g., QGIS, ArcGIS). 
  • Strong technical communication skills, with experience producing structured scientific or technical deliverables.
  • Excellent collaboration skills and ability to work across science, engineering, and operations domains.
  • #LI-AD1

Preferred Qualifications

  • Experience with planetary mission operations including surface activity planning or science - operations integration. 
  • Experience supporting simulation campaigns or pre-mission readiness activities.
  • Flight console, mission backroom, or comparable mission support experience would be considered an asset.
  • Proficiency in Python or equivalent scripting languages for data analysis and automation.
  • Experience developing automated or semi-automated analysis workflows using remote sensing and terrain datasets.
  • Experience in generating and analysing digital elevation models (DEMs)
  • Record of peer-reviewed publications or mission-related deliverables.

    • We recognize that candidates may not meet every listed qualification. If you are excited about the role and believe your experience is relevant, we encourage you to apply.
Why Join ispace EUROPE? At ispace EU, we’re not just building lunar rovers — we’re shaping the future of space exploration from our base in Luxembourg. As part of a global team spanning Japan, the US, and Europe, we’re on a mission to create a sustainable lunar economy and expand humanity’s reach beyond Earth. Join a diverse, fast-moving team where engineers, creatives, and business minds work side by side to turn bold ideas into reality. If you're ready to make history — and have fun doing it — we’d love to hear from you.
Let’s go to the Moon together.
Learn more about our recent activities here: https://ispace-inc.com/news-en We welcome candidates with diverse experience levels and evaluate the best fit on an individual basis. Your final job level and salary will be determined based on your skills, experience, and the impact you can bring to the role.
ispace, inc.

About ispace, inc.

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. Toward that vision, we aim to build an economic zone between the Earth and the Moon (cislunar) through the commercialization of lunar surface development.

In 2022, we launched our first mission to the Moon. It was the culmination of years of hard work and our first step towards extending human life into outer space. Mission 2, launched in 2025, was the second and final mission of the HAKUTO-R lunar exploration program and featured the RESILIENCE lunar lander carrying the TENACIOUS micro rover, navigating deep space and entering lunar orbit before attempting to land on the Moon. With the completion of the R&D Phase, ispace moves forward, taking the lessons learned from Mission 1 and Mission 2, and transitioning into its “Early Commercialization Phase" with Missions 3 & 4 currently in development.

ispace has business entities in Japan, Luxembourg, and the United States with more than 300 employees worldwide.

Industry
Aviation & Aerospace
Company Size
201-500 employees
Headquarters
Tokyo, JP
Year Founded
Unknown
Website
ispace-inc.com
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