ispace, a Japanese company, aims to launch its second lunar lander mission, dubbed Resilience, as early as December 2023, making it one of three companies planning missions to the moon by year's end. During a Sept. 11 press conference, executives from Tokyo-based ispace revealed that their second lunar lander would launch no earlier than December aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Florida, designated as Mission 2 by ispace.
The lander, now fully assembled, is currently undergoing testing at a facility operated by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). Ryo Ujiie, ispace's chief technology officer, stated that it would be transported to the launch site approximately one to one and a half months prior to launch.
While the company refrained from specifying a precise launch date, Ujiie expressed cautious optimism, citing a 50-50 probability of a December launch. He acknowledged challenges encountered during testing, but emphasized high expectations for the mission.
The Resilience lander retains the HAKUTO-R design employed in the company's first lander, which unfortunately crashed during a landing attempt on the moon in April 2023. ispace attributed the crash to a software glitch, stemming from a late alteration in the landing site during the mission's development.
At the briefing, ispace also unveiled the landing site for Mission 2: Mare Frigoris, located at 60.5 degrees north and 4.6 degrees west on the moon's near side. Ujiie noted the similarity in latitude to the first lander's landing site, ensuring consistent lighting conditions.
The lander will carry six payloads, led by a “micro rover” named Tenacious, developed by ispace's European subsidiary. The rover is equipped to collect a regolith sample, which ispace will sell to NASA under a 2020 agreement. Additional payloads include a deep space radiation monitor and water electrolyzer equipment.
The final payload, announced at the briefing, is an art installation: "Moonhouse," a miniature model house by Swedish artist Mikael Genberg. The small red house, measuring 11 by 8.6 by 6.4 centimeters, is mounted on the Tenacious rover.
Resilience is one of three lunar landers scheduled to launch in late 2023 or early 2024 on separate Falcon 9 flights. Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost 1 lander arrived at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in August for environmental testing ahead of a launch anticipated for the fourth quarter of 2023. Intuitive Machines is also preparing for its second lunar lander mission, called IM-2, slated for launch in December or early January.
Despite sharing a common launch vehicle, these missions will pursue distinct trajectories to the moon. IM-2 will follow a direct path, with a landing occurring about a week after launch. Firefly stated that its Blue Ghost lander will spend a month in Earth orbit before transitioning to lunar orbit for two weeks prior to attempting a landing.
At the briefing, Ujiie revealed that Mission 2 will adopt the same low-energy trajectory as the first mission, resulting in a landing four to five months after launch.