ispace

Japanese startup ispace inc is preparing to land its Hakuto-R Mission 1 (M1) spacecraft on the moon early, in what would be the world's first lunar landing by a private company if it succeeds. The M1 lander is set to touch down around 1:40 a.m. Japan time (1640 GMT Tuesday) after taking off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on a SpaceX rocket in December. Success would mark a welcome reversal from the recent setbacks Japan has faced in space technology, where it has big ambitions of building a domestic industry, including a…

A Japanese private space company, ispace, can potentially create history today, April 25. The firm will be attempting its maiden lunar landing later today and if it is successful, it will become the first private organization to achieve this feat. So far, the Moon landing is an achievement that only government-backed space organizations have been able to successfully complete. The historic mission will see the Hakuto-R Mission 1 lander gradually begin its descent into the lunar surface in just a few hours.As per reports,…

The inaugural launch of SpaceX’s Starship captured our imagination, but the coming week reminds us of the company’s other heavy-lift launch vehicle: Falcon Heavy. We’re also anticipating a historic spacewalk and a potentially unprecedented commercial Moon landing. Astronomers Could Soon Get Warnings When SpaceX Satellites Threaten Their ViewWe’ve also got our eyes on two Falcon 9 launches, as SpaceX continues to build its internet megaconstellation. A commercial Japanese lander will attempt a lunar landingHakuto-R snapped…

China’s plan to reach the widely coveted lunar south pole—where NASA hopes to touch down in 2025 with Artemis 3—has been disrupted by a decades-old U.S. trade law. The International Traffic in Arms Regulations, or ITAR, has seemingly prevented the 2026 Chang’e 7 mission from including UAE’s Rashid 2 rover.Astronomers Could Soon Get Warnings When SpaceX Satellites Threaten Their ViewThe South China Morning Post reported on the shakeup last week, citing two anonymous sources familiar with China’s mission. Rashid 2 would…

A Japanese mission to the Moon seeksto be the first private venture to successfully land on the lunar surface. But before it attempts to touchdown on its dusty surface, the Hakuto-R lunar lander is treating us to some sweet new views of our natural satellite.On Monday, Tokyo-based company ispace shared its lander’s view of the Moon, which it captured after it entered lunar orbit last week. The image reveals a close-up of the Moon, showing its cratered surface glimmering in the dark depths of space.The Hakuto-R mission…

After traveling through space for more than three months, Japan’s Hakuto-R lander has entered lunar orbit,as it prepares to land on the dusty surface of the Moon.On Tuesday, Tokyo-based company ispace announced that its Hakuto-R Mission 1 Lunar Lander successfully pulled off a lunar orbit insertion maneuver and is now orbiting the Moon. “While the lander has performed multiple deep space maneuver operations, this maneuver represents the longest burn performed by the propulsion system during the mission,” the company…

An artist’s depiction of the Hakuto-R lander on the Moon.Illustration: ispaceThe Hakuto-R spacecraft won’t land on the Moon until April, but the private mission is already in the record books. Tokyo-based company ispace developed the lunar spacecraft and lander with the aim of becoming the first private mission to successfully land on the Moon. During its long journey to the Moon, Hakuto-R got as far as 855,000 miles (1.376 million kilometers) away from Earth on January 20. That distance made the Japanese lunar spacecraft…

From NASA to ISRO, these are the 5 big Moon missions you can look forward to in 2023. From observing the farthest galaxy from Earth (GN-z11) to shifting the orbit of an asteroid by striking it with a spacecraft, scientists reached many new milestones in 2022. But it appears that the Moon will be the center of all attention in 2023. Many space agencies are looking at our sole natural satellite as a destination to visit and explore. While the Moon race between the USA and Russia ended decades ago, we still remember when…

A Japanese space startup launched a spacecraft to the moon on Sunday after several delays, a step toward what would be a first for the nation and for a private company. A Japanese space startup launched a spacecraft to the moon on Sunday after several delays, a step toward what would be a first for the nation and for a private company. ispace Inc's HAKUTO-R mission took off without incident from Cape Canaveral, Florida, after two postponements caused by inspections of its SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. More than a…

The lunar lander snapped this image on its way to the Moon.Image: Canadensys Aerospace CorporationThe tiny Hakuto-R lunar spacecraft and lander is currently en route to the Moon, but it managed to capture this stellar view of Earth, in what is an encouraging start to the private Japanese mission. Tokyo-based company ispace’s Hakuto-R spacecraft snapped its first images since launching on Sunday, showing first signs of life during a journey that’s set to take about four months.The lander launched on board a SpaceX Falcon 9…