Space robotics firm ispace is one step closer to leading the first successful private mission to land on the moon after completing the eighth milestone of the lunar lander HAKUTO-R Mission 1.
The Japanese firm, whose European headquarters are located in Luxembourg, announced on 14 April that it had performed the final orbital control maneuver.
In a press statement it wrote: “After a controlled burn from the lander’s main propulsion system lasting approximately 10 minutes, the maneuver was successfully completed.”
HAKUTO-R was launched on a Falcon 9 on 11 December 2022, and was successfully inserted into lunar orbit on 21 March, 2023. Milestone 9 will see the firm attempt to successfully land the aircraft on the Moon.
During the one-hour landing sequence, which is scheduled for 25 April, the lander will perform a braking burn, firing its main propulsion system to decelerate from orbit. It will adjust its attitude and reduce velocity in order to make a soft landing on the lunar surface.
If conditions change, ispace has identified three alternative landing sites, which could push back the landing dates.
“Recognising the possibility of an anomaly during the mission, the results will be weighed and evaluated against the criteria and incorporated into future missions already in development between now and 2025,” ispace writes.
Mission 2 and Mission 3, part of NASA’s Artemis Program, will provide ispace with further opportunities to hone its technology and business model.
