Japanese space startup ispace launched its second mission to the Moon on Thursday, aiming for a historic lunar landing with its new lander named “Resilience.” The attempt marks the company’s renewed effort to become the first private firm to achieve a successful soft landing on the Moon, following a failed landing attempt in 2023.
The launch took place aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The mission, officially titled HAKUTO-R Mission 2, is expected to take approximately four to six months to reach the Moon’s surface, with a landing targeted for as early as late 2025. The mission will test key technologies essential for future lunar transportation and resource development.
The lander, called Resilience, reflects the company’s determination following its previous mission’s failure, when the spacecraft lost contact during its final descent. That attempt, despite ending in a crash, made ispace the first private company to reach lunar orbit, earning praise for its technological ambition.
ispace founder and CEO Takeshi Hakamada said the team has learned valuable lessons and implemented critical upgrades to ensure a safer landing this time. “We’ve built Resilience to demonstrate our progress and show our commitment to long-term lunar exploration,” he said at a press briefing before the launch.
The mission carries several payloads, including an experimental mini rover developed by Japan’s space agency JAXA and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The rover will attempt to gather data on lunar soil and environmental conditions. The lander will also test precision landing technology, autonomous systems, and communication capabilities, all of which are vital for future lunar missions.
The renewed landing attempt comes amid heightened global interest in lunar exploration. Both state space agencies and private companies are racing to develop the infrastructure for sustainable Moon missions, including potential mining operations and lunar bases.
NASA’s Artemis program, China’s lunar initiatives, and India’s Chandrayaan efforts are among the major state-backed projects pushing toward long-term lunar presence. ispace aims to complement these efforts by providing commercial transport services, supporting scientific experiments, and eventually enabling resource extraction like water and minerals.
If successful, ispace would become the first private company to land on the Moon, potentially opening a new era of commercial lunar logistics. The company’s long-term roadmap includes conducting regular missions to the lunar surface by the end of the decade.
The success of Resilience is critical for ispace’s reputation and future contracts. The company has already partnered with NASA and other international organizations and is developing additional landers and rovers for upcoming missions. It also has operations in Luxembourg and the United States.
Space analysts say the mission will serve as a crucial test of ispace’s technical maturity and reliability in the competitive lunar economy. While the risks of lunar landings remain high, especially for private ventures, ispace’s persistence has drawn attention as a symbol of Japan’s growing role in the next phase of space exploration.
As Resilience begins its long journey toward the Moon, the world will be watching closely. A successful touchdown would mark a major achievement for the commercial space sector and reaffirm ispace’s place at the forefront of private lunar exploration.
Source; Reuters
