posted 06-27-2024 05:24 PM               

HAKUTO-R Mission 2

For its second mission, ispace aims to achieve a soft landing on the lunar surface and beyond: Deploy its proprietary Micro Rover, explore the Moon’s surface and collect regolith.

RESILIENCE Lander

The RESILIENCE Lander has been optimized for light weight, small size and reliability, aiming to succeed in the first commercial lunar landing.

Micro Rover

The smallest and lightest planetary rover in the world.

posted 06-27-2024 05:29 PM               

ispace RESILIENCE Lunar Lander Successfully Achieves Testing Milestone in Preparation for Mission 2

All Testing Success Criteria & Qualifications Attained

ispace, inc. announced today (June 27) that the flight model of its HAKUTO-R Mission 2 RESILIENCE lunar lander has successfully completed thermal vacuum testing and remains on schedule for a Winter 2024 launch.

Above: ispace engineers preparing the RESILIENCE lunar lander for testing at a JAXA facility in Tsukuba, Japan.

The testing was completed at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Tsukuba Space Center in Tsukuba, Japan, where the agency operates a large testing facility. The flight model was assembled at the facility and all payloads or testing models were integrated into the lunar lander before testing began.

All test success criteria were met; ispace engineers are now reviewing the detailed data that RESILIENCE collected during the ten-day testing regime. The results will allow engineers to optimize the spacecraft thermally for spaceflight as well as improve flight operation procedures.

Thermal vacuum testing is conducted in a large chamber that allows the lunar lander to experience conditions similar to what it will face during its journey through outer space including extreme temperatures in a vacuum environment. Initial test results indicated successful operation of power systems, guidance, navigation and control (GNC) equipment, radio communications, and thermal control of the lander while simulating an actual spaceflight. During testing in the chamber, ispace operators utillized the lander's onboard radio to assess connections, send commands to, and receive telemetry from the lander, further simulating actual flight operations.

"Lessons learned" obtained during Mission 1 pre-launch testing processes as well as actual flight data were applied to the current testing operations to optimize efficiency and ensure more rigorous testing of the lander systems.

"I am grateful for the efforts of ispace's employees as the RESILIENCE lunar lander has achieved another significant testing milestone in preparation for Mission 2," said Takeshi Hakamada, Founder and CEO of ispace. "Conducting multiple missions in relatively short intervals has improved the maturity of our team and the technology itself. We are dedicated to mission success and will continue to work towards realizing our vision of high-frequency, low-cost lunar transportation services."

Above: ispace engineers moving the RESILIENCE lunar lander into a testing chamber at a JAXA facility in Tsukuba, Japan.

"The successful completion of the thermal vacuum test for Mission 2 was a great achievement. I am proud of the efforts of the team involved in this operation by improving the process based on our experience from Mission 1 and the lander performed well, as we expected," said Ryo Ujiie, CTO of ispace. "The RESILIENCE lander is quickly moving towards final preparations for launch and we are pleased with progress."

Mission 2, ispace's second lunar exploration mission, is expected to launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Fla. RESILIENCE will deliver commercial and scientific equipment to the lunar surface and is expected to contribute to the NASA-led Artemis program. In addition to its commercial payloads, the mission will include a micro rover that will deploy from the lunar lander and conduct surface exploration including the collection of lunar regolith.

In December 2020, ispace EUROPE was selected by NASA to acquire regolith from the lunar surface to be purchased by the space agency. In furtherance of this effort, a shovel developed by Epiroc AB, a leading productivity and sustainability partner for the mining and infrastructure industries, and a corporate partner participating in the HAKUTO-R program, has been delivered and mounted on the micro rover. Once on the lunar surface, ispace operators plan to use the shovel to collect a sample of lunar regolith and photograph the collection with the camera mounted on the rover.

ispace is leveraging its global presence through its three business units in Japan, the U.S., and Luxembourg, for the simultaneous development of Mission 2 and Mission 3. Mission 2 is planned for 2024, led by the ispace Japan entity, and Mission 3 in 2026, led by the ispace U.S. entity. Mission 6, which will utilize the Series 3 lander, being designed in Japan, is scheduled to be launched by 2027.

posted 11-27-2024 08:05 AM               

ispace Mission 2 'Resilience' lunar lander Arrives in Florida for Final Launch Preparations

HAKUTO-R x SMBC Venture Moon Mission targeting Launch No Earlier Than January 2025

ispace, inc. announced today (Nov. 27) that its Mission 2 "Resilience" lunar lander carrying the "Tenacious" micro rover and commercial payloads for lunar exploration has safely arrived in Florida and will begin final preparations in advance of a launch scheduled for no earlier than January 2025.

The "Resilience" lunar lander was shipped from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) facility in Tsukuba, Japan, where it had undergone testing, via commercial cargo plane to Florida, where it will now await its upcoming launch.

"The Mission 2 'RESILIENCE' lander is the culmination of the HAKUTO-R program, incorporating the data and know-how gained from Mission 1," said Takeshi Hakamada, Founder & CEO of ispace. "We are pleased that the transport to the launch site in Florida, has been completed successfully. The lander is carrying not only the payload entrusted to us by our customers, but also the excitement of many stakeholders. We will continue to make final preparations until the day of the launch, when the lander, which carries so many hopes, will be launched."

ispace's Mission 2 is named "Venture Moon" by HAKUTO-R official partner, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC). The word "venture" is emblematic of new beginnings and opportunity. With the support of SMBC, ispace, which aims to develop the new cislunar economy connecting the Earth and the Moon and expanding human existence into space.

ispace is leveraging its global presence through its three business units in Japan, the U.S., and Luxembourg, for the simultaneous development of upcoming missions. Mission 2, featuring the "Resilience" lunar lander and "Tenacious" micro rover, is led by ispace Japan and is now scheduled for launch no earlier than January 2025. Mission 3, debuting the APEX 1.0 lunar lander, is led by ispace-U.S. and is expected to launch in 2026. Mission 6, which will utilize the Series 3 lander, currently being designed in Japan, is scheduled to be launched by 2027.

posted 01-15-2025 02:02 AM               

A trail of two moon landers: Firefly's Blue Ghost and ispace's Resilience lift off

Two private spacecraft are now on their way to attempting separate landings on the moon. One is expected to take 45 days to arrive in lunar orbit, while the other is expected to take four to five months — despite sharing the same ride off Earth.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched on Wednesday (Jan. 15) carrying Firefly Aerospace's first "Blue Ghost" and ispace's second Hakuto-R lunar lander, named "Resilience." Liftoff occurred at 1:11 a.m. EST (0611 GMT) from Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the same launch pad from where all of the Apollo moon landing missions began their journeys.

posted 01-15-2025 10:09 AM               

ispace Completes Success 3 of Mission 2 Milestones

Mission Control Center Establishes Communication with RESILIENCE Lander

ispace, inc., a global lunar exploration company, announced today (Jan. 15) that mission operations specialists in the HAKUTO-R Mission Control Center in Nihonbashi, Tokyo have established a communication link with the RESILIENCE lunar lander and confirmed a stable attitude as well as stable generation of electrical power in orbit.

RESILIENCE was launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at 6:11 UTC, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025 (U.S. Eastern Time) and was successfully deployed at 7:44:24 UTC.

"We have established communication with the RESILIENCE lander, and have stabilized its attitude and power supply," said Takeshi Hakamada, Founder & CEO of ispace. "We will make full use of the knowledge and experience gained in Mission 1 to prepare for the first orbit control maneuver scheduled in the near future. While the lander carries 6 payloads including the TENACIOUS micro rover, no deficiencies in the lander's core system have been identified."

The establishment of a communication link and stable attitude completes Success 3 of the Mission 2 Milestones.

posted 01-16-2025 07:52 PM               

ispace Completes Success 4 of Mission 2 Milestones

ispace, inc. announced that the RESILIENCE lunar lander successfully completed its first orbital maneuver at 19:40:18 UTC, Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025, at 250,000 kilometers from Earth, setting the lander on a course towards the Moon and verifying operation of the main propulsion system, as well as the related guidance, control, and navigation system.

The orbital maneuver required a main thruster burn that lasted 16 seconds. By verifying the systems and completing the maneuver, the RESILIENCE lander has completed Success 4 of the Mission 2 Milestones

RESILIENCE was launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at 6:11:39 UTC, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025, and was successfully deployed from the rocket at 7:44:24 UTC. The RESILIENCE lander is currently in Earth orbit and will complete a lunar flyby, known as Success 5, and then enter a low energy transfer orbit.

"The RESILIENCE lander is performing as we expect it and now following this thrust by the propulsion system is now heading towards a lunar flyby," said Takeshi Hakamada, Founder & CEO of ispace. "We are very pleased with the performance of the lander, the subsystems and of our very dedicated Mission Operations specialists and staff who are busy operating the lander. I want to thank them, all of our employees and stakeholders who are cheering us on during the first steps of this mission."