iSpace Inc. Press release:
TOKYO—April 26, 2023—ispace, inc., (ispace) a global lunar exploration company, announced today that the HAKUTO-R Mission 1 Lunar Lander was expected to land on the surface of the Moon at 1:40 am JST on April 26, 2023. At this time HAKUTO-R Mission Control Center in Nihonbashi, Tokyo has not been able to confirm the success of the Lunar Lander.
ispace engineers and mission operations specialists in the Mission Control Center are currently working to confirm the current status of the lander. Further information on the status of the lander will be announced as it becomes available.
Hakuto-R Mission1 (Hakuto-R M1) is a Japanese lunar landing mission. It is primarily a technology demonstration lander. It is built by ispace, inc., and will carry commercial and government payloads, including two lunar rovers (Rashid and the Japanese Lunar Excursion Vehicle).
The mission launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on 11 December at 07:38:13 UT, along with the Lunar Flashlight mission. It was put into a lunar transfer trajectory 40 minutes after launch and was deployed from the booster 7 minutes later. Communications were established with Hakuto, and all systems are reported in a nominal state. The orbit involved a wide loop away from the Earth and Moon and a return to lunar orbit. Lunar orbit insertion was achieved on 21 March. A 100-km circular orbit was achieved on 13 April. Landing is scheduled for 25 April 2023 at approximately 16:40 UT (12:40 p.m. EDT) at 47.5 N, 44.4 E in Atlas crater in the Mare Frigoris region on the Moon's near side. There are backup landing opportunities on April 26, May 1, and May 3.
The ispace Series 1 Lunar Lander stands about 2.3 meters tall on four landing legs with a total footprint 2.6 x 2.6 meters. The dry mass is 340 kg, fully fueled mass with payloads is roughly 1000 kg. The main body is an octagonal prism, 1.64 meters high and about 1.6 meters across its widest diameter. It has one main landing thruster and six assist thrusters. 350 W peak power is provided by body-mounted solar panels charging a Li-ion battery. Communications (uplink and downlink) are via X-band. It can carry 30 kg of payload to the lunar surface in protected compartments.
Rashid is a United Arab Emirates (UAE) lunar rover. It has a mass of approximately 10 kg. It is planned to operate for one lunar sunrise to sunset (about 14 Earth days) and will be used to study lunar soil properties, the Moon's geology, dust movement, and the surface plasma environment. The Japanese Lunar Excursion Vehicle, or Transformable Lunar Robot, is a small 8 cm diameter sphere with a mass of about 0.25 kg that will open into a cylindrical shape, basically an axle with two hemispherical wheels, and carry cameras for surface observations.
About iSpace:
ispace is a lunar exploration company with a vision to extend human presence into outer space.
Our vision is to expand our living sphere and create a sustainable world.
The Moon’s water resources represent untapped potential. iSpace aspires to explore and develop these water resources and spearhead a space-based economy.
Water can be broken down into hydrogen and oxygen to produce fuel, so iSpace is mapping lunar resources to accelerate space development.
Imagine the Moon supporting construction, energy, steel procurement, communications, transportation, agriculture, medicine, and tourism…
iSpace believes that by 2040 the Moon will support a population of 1,000, with 10,000 people visiting annually.
ispace will be instrumental in supporting life on Earth through space-based infrastructure.
TOKYO—April 26, 2023—ispace, inc., (ispace) a global lunar exploration company, announced today that the HAKUTO-R Mission 1 Lunar Lander was expected to land on the surface of the Moon at 1:40 am JST on April 26, 2023. At this time HAKUTO-R Mission Control Center in Nihonbashi, Tokyo has not been able to confirm the success of the Lunar Lander.
ispace engineers and mission operations specialists in the Mission Control Center are currently working to confirm the current status of the lander. Further information on the status of the lander will be announced as it becomes available.
Hakuto-R Mission1 (Hakuto-R M1) is a Japanese lunar landing mission. It is primarily a technology demonstration lander. It is built by ispace, inc., and will carry commercial and government payloads, including two lunar rovers (Rashid and the Japanese Lunar Excursion Vehicle).
The mission launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on 11 December at 07:38:13 UT, along with the Lunar Flashlight mission. It was put into a lunar transfer trajectory 40 minutes after launch and was deployed from the booster 7 minutes later. Communications were established with Hakuto, and all systems are reported in a nominal state. The orbit involved a wide loop away from the Earth and Moon and a return to lunar orbit. Lunar orbit insertion was achieved on 21 March. A 100-km circular orbit was achieved on 13 April. Landing is scheduled for 25 April 2023 at approximately 16:40 UT (12:40 p.m. EDT) at 47.5 N, 44.4 E in Atlas crater in the Mare Frigoris region on the Moon's near side. There are backup landing opportunities on April 26, May 1, and May 3.
The ispace Series 1 Lunar Lander stands about 2.3 meters tall on four landing legs with a total footprint 2.6 x 2.6 meters. The dry mass is 340 kg, fully fueled mass with payloads is roughly 1000 kg. The main body is an octagonal prism, 1.64 meters high and about 1.6 meters across its widest diameter. It has one main landing thruster and six assist thrusters. 350 W peak power is provided by body-mounted solar panels charging a Li-ion battery. Communications (uplink and downlink) are via X-band. It can carry 30 kg of payload to the lunar surface in protected compartments.
Rashid is a United Arab Emirates (UAE) lunar rover. It has a mass of approximately 10 kg. It is planned to operate for one lunar sunrise to sunset (about 14 Earth days) and will be used to study lunar soil properties, the Moon's geology, dust movement, and the surface plasma environment. The Japanese Lunar Excursion Vehicle, or Transformable Lunar Robot, is a small 8 cm diameter sphere with a mass of about 0.25 kg that will open into a cylindrical shape, basically an axle with two hemispherical wheels, and carry cameras for surface observations.
About iSpace:
ispace is a lunar exploration company with a vision to extend human presence into outer space.
Our vision is to expand our living sphere and create a sustainable world.
The Moon’s water resources represent untapped potential. iSpace aspires to explore and develop these water resources and spearhead a space-based economy.
Water can be broken down into hydrogen and oxygen to produce fuel, so iSpace is mapping lunar resources to accelerate space development.
Imagine the Moon supporting construction, energy, steel procurement, communications, transportation, agriculture, medicine, and tourism…
iSpace believes that by 2040 the Moon will support a population of 1,000, with 10,000 people visiting annually.
ispace will be instrumental in supporting life on Earth through space-based infrastructure.