Japanese lunar exploration company iSpace said Tuesday it plans to place a lander on the moon on June 6.
The company's founder and CEO Takeshi Hakamada held a press conference on Monday to share details of its second lunar mission, which began on January 15 with the launch of the SMBC x HAKUTO-R Venture Moon Mission 2 RESILIENCE lander.
As stated in the ispace press release, mission conditions remain normal, there are no technical issues observed, and the lander maintains a stable connection.
If the mission continues on its current course, RESILIENCE is expected to land on Friday, June 6, at 4:24 a.m. local time.
Ispace is focused on developing lunar rovers and landers to provide frequent and affordable transportation services to the Moon.
Takeshi explained that compared to the company's first attempt to land on the moon, this second mission “is proceeding as smoothly as could be expected from the moment of liftoff.” Ispace's first mission ended in failure when the lander crashed onto the moon on April 26, 2023.
RESILIENCE is expected to enter lunar orbit around May 6. The lander successfully completed a flyby of the moon on February 15. If RESILIENCE succeeds in landing, it will then deploy a rover called TENACIOUS, which will explore the area around the landing site.
Ispace also plans to launch a third mission in 2026 with a newly developed lunar lander, followed by a fourth mission in 2027 with a lander still under development. Takeshi told the conference that he is confident that, thanks to the “careful preparations” made by ispace, RESILIENCE will make a “great landing on the Moon and the TENACIOUS rover will begin exploration. We will work hard to make this happen.”
Sourse: www.upi.com
