ispace, inc. (ispace), a global lunar exploration company and its U.S. subsidiary ispace technologies U.S., inc. (ispace-U.S.) together announced that it will update its management structure at ispace-U.S., effective as of April 1, 2025.
Aiming to increase competitiveness in the rapidly growing American market and contribute to overall U.S. space strategy and the Artemis Program, ispace is taking steps to enable ispace-U.S. to qualify as a prime contractor of U.S. government missions and to enhance its ability to execute existing and future programs. ispace-U.S. is creating a U.S.-based Board of Directors to be led by Ronald (Ron) J. Garan Jr., former NASA Astronaut and current ispace-U.S. CEO.
Under the new management structure of ispace-U.S., Ron Garan will be appointed as Chairperson of the Board, while Elizabeth Kryst, current Executive Vice President of Programs will be promoted and appointed as the new CEO of ispace-U.S.
Ron Garan has led ispace-U.S. for the past year and a half, during which time ispace-U.S. has experienced exponential growth. He has made significant contributions to establishing ispace-U.S.’s position in the American market and the global space industry. In his new role, Garan will play a pivotal corporate-wide role in the company’s continued growth and value enhancement, and will contribute to expanding ispace-U.S.’s footprint in the industry from a strategic perspective, including strengthening collaboration with external stakeholders, leveraging his extensive experience and knowledge of the industry.
“As Chairperson of ispace-U.S., I will work to further strengthen our ties with stakeholders and continue to increase the company’s contribution to the U.S. space industry,” said Ron Garan, Chairperson of the Board, ispace-U.S. “Elizabeth brings deep experience in the commercial aerospace industry and is a supberb leader. Elizabeth has my full confidence and support as together we continue to grow ispace-U.S.”
Elizabeth Kryst, who has served as EVP of Programs, overseeing the development of the APEX 1.0 lander and team management for the company’s program, will assume the role of ispace-U.S. CEO. Her leadership, extensive experience, and outstanding track record have earned her recognition as a rising star in the aerospace industry. She is expected to accelerate the growth of ispace-U.S. and will continue Ron Garan’s vision while also promoting innovation from a new perspective. As a leader of the next generation, she is expected to play a significant role in shaping the future of ispace-U.S.
“I am excited to take on a new challenge as CEO,” said Elizabeth Kryst. “I was in Florida earlier this month to watch the Mission 2 launch. It was inspiring to see the tremendous collaboration among all three ispace entities, and I’m very excited to continue these efforts on Mission 3 and beyond. Having been appointed as CEO, I will work to improve ispace-U.S.’s presence, strengthen its sales activities, and partner with our colleagues in Tokyo and Luxembourg to ensure the success of future missions.”
ispace-U.S. in partnership with ispace-Japan, and ispace-Europe continue to strengthen its global collaboration with the goal of contributing to the space strategy of United States especially that of the Artemis Program.
Chief Executive Officer of ispace-U.S. Elizabeth Kryst
Elizabeth Kryst has held various leadership roles across the aerospace sector, ranging from new product introduction to program management and strategic planning in advanced material science and environmental sciences. At ispace-U.S., Elizabeth played pivotal role in accelerating programs, quality assurance, supply chain, business development, communications, government affairs, and business transformation initiatives for the U.S. entity.
Prior to joining ispace-U.S., she most recently served as the Chief of Staff – Vice President of Business Operations for World View, an Aerospace startup company pioneering un-crewed high altitude Stratospheric flight systems for a myriad of remote sensing applications. She holds a Master’s degree in Engineering (MEng) from Arizona State University and a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Appointed as the new CEO of ispace-U.S., effective as of April 1, 2025.
About ispace
ispace, a global lunar exploration 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 business entities in Japan, Luxembourg, and the United States with approximately 300 employees worldwide.
For more information, visit: www.ispace-inc.com and follow us on X: @ispace_us_inc.
About ispace – U.S.
ispace – U.S. is an American lunar exploration company providing transportation and infrastructure capabilities from Earth to lunar orbit and the surface of the Moon for government and commercial customers. ispace believes that the utilization of lunar resources is the catalyst for enabling human permanence and economic opportunity on and around the Moon and is committed to achieving this goal. The company’s U.S. headquarters serves as the central location for the development of its APEX 1.0 lunar lander, which is being designed, manufactured, and launched in the United States. In partnership with Draper, this lander will deliver a suite of NASA-sponsored science payloads to the lunar surface as part of the NASA Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) Initiative.
For more information, follow us on LinkedIn and X: @ispace_inc.