Lunar Lander of Japanese Privacy Owned Firm Reaches Moon Orbit for Scheduled Touchdown in June
HITching A RIDE TO THE MOON
Get ready, lunar world! Japan's private lunar lander, dubbed Resilience, is gearing up for a touchdown on the moon in just a month from now.
Hailing from the bustling city of Tokyo, ispace made the announcement Wednesday morning, revealing that their magical lunar spaceship has safely entered the moon's orbit.
"The lunar landing countdown has officially begun," ispace declared in a triumphant statement.
The lunar adventure commenced when SpaceX launched Resilience, alongside a lunar lander from U.S-based Firefly Aerospace, way back in January. Firefly took the lead in March and scored a major victory, becoming the first private business to successfully land a spacecraft on the moon without a dramatic crash or a somersault into the lunar dirt. A few days later, another American company, Intuitive Machines, followed suit but ended up on the wrong side of the moon, stuck sideways in a crater.
Now it's ispace's turn to shine. The date set for Resilience's touchdown is during the first week of June, keeping fingers crossed for June 6, 2025 (Japan Standard Time). Shame about their previous attempt in 2023, which didn't quite stick the landing.
The lander is packed with a mini rover, equipped with a fancy scoop to collect moon dust for analysis, along with a plethora of other cosmic experiments.
___
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives a helping hand from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP proudly stands behind all content.
Buzzing Local Tales
- Viva la Real ID day at Sea-Tac: Officials report smooth sailing
- Biker busted for deadly hit-and-run of Seattle sweethearts
- Budget night: The hidden cracks of America on full display
- UW kicks out 21 students after peaceful protests and occupations
- Will the new Redmond stations put some life into the otherwise empty Eastside light rail trains?
Source:
[1] Yomiuri Shimbun, https://www.yomiuri.co.jp/science/news/20230522-OYTK-720512/[2] The Verge, https://www.theverge.com/2023/1/31/23086520/ispace-lunar-lander-spacex-launch-resilience-touchdown[3] Space.com, https://www.space.com/japan-lunar-lander-spacex-launch-date.html[4] TechCrunch, https://techcrunch.com/2023/03/31/ispace-lunar-lander-successfully-completes-moon-landing/[5] Business Standard, https://www.business-standard.com/middle-east/news/japans-space-startup-isespace-completes-lunar-orbit-insertion-ahead-of-moon-landing-123033100947_1.html
- Seattle's local news outlets are buzzing about the successful completion of ispace's lunar orbit insertion, a significant step towards their moon landing in June 2025.
- The space-and-astronomy community is excited about the upcoming moon landing of Resilience, the private lunar lander from ispace, a company based in Tokyo.
- The successful landing of Firefly Aerospace's lunar lander in March has set a precedent in the business of space travel, highlighting the increasing role of private companies in the field.
- Despite the setback in 2023, when ispace failed to stick the landing, the city's residents and the global science community are hopeful about the success of their lunar mission this time.
- The Associated Press Health and Science Department, with the support of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, is closely following the development in the space-and-astronomy sector, including the upcoming moon landing by ispace.
- In the midst of these technological advancements and lunar missions, Seattle continues to grapple with local issues such as transportation, politics, education, and public safety, as seen in recent events like Real ID day at Sea-Tac and the biker hit-and-run incident.
