Originally planned for November 30, Japan’s ispace will now launch its HAKUTO-R Mission 1 in the early hours of Thursday aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket.
I outfitted the small lander with its own thermal and radiation control assembly, secure payload compartments, a propulsion system with three different thrusters, and altitude change gear.
Based on the success of the first mission, ispace will change the Mission 2 and Mission 3 goals, which are both parts of NASA’s Artemis program.
the company has signed agreements with NASA to mine and deliver lunar regolith, as well as with the European Space Agency to extract water from the moon.