Second Attempt After 2023 Failure
Japanese venture company ispace will attempt a lunar landing in the early hours of June 6. The company plans to attempt the landing using its independently developed unmanned lander. If successful, this would mark the first time a private company in Asia has achieved a lunar landing.
According to Japanese media outlet Yomiuri Shimbun on June 5 (local time), ispace's lunar lander "Resilience" is set to begin its gradual descent toward the lunar surface from 3:00 a.m. on June 6, after completing a flight of approximately five months. Resilience is expected to land at the "Sea of Cold," located in the northern hemisphere of the Moon, at around 4:17 a.m.
Resilience was launched from the United States in January and entered lunar orbit last month. The lander measures 2.6 meters in width and 2.3 meters in height, and is equipped with a small rover and experimental devices inside. If Resilience succeeds in landing on the Moon, it will be the first such achievement by a private company in Asia and only the third in the world.
ispace attempted its first lunar landing in April 2023. However, during the descent, the altitude measurement sensor malfunctioned, causing the lander to run out of fuel and ultimately crash into the lunar surface. Since then, ispace has improved its flight control software and selected a flatter landing site than before.
If the lunar landing is successful, ispace plans to collect lunar soil and sell it to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The company emphasized that this would be "the world's first lunar resource transaction." Takeshi Hakamada, CEO of ispace, issued a statement on June 4, saying, "We are proud to be taking on this challenge once again."
Meanwhile, in January last year, Japan succeeded in landing its lunar probe "SLIM" on the Moon, becoming the fifth country in the world to achieve a lunar landing.
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