Japanese space startups continue to take on adventurous challenges amid intensifying international competition for technological development, with the private sector taking over the lead role in space development. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/03/26/japan/japan-startups-space-development/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #space #tech #startups #investments #ispace #astroscaleholdings #interstellartechnologies
Japanese startup Ispace set a June 6 target touchdown date for its moon lander, following the success of its rocket "rideshare" buddy, a spacecraft from a U.S. firm. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/03/04/japan/japan-space-startup-moon-landing-date/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #ispace #space #moon #rockets
Tokyo-based moon exploration company Ispace is heartened by signs the United States and Japan will remain on course for joint lunar missions, amid growing uncertainties in U.S. space policies under Trump 2.0. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2025/02/13/japan-moon-firm-ispace-upbeat/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #ispace #takeshihakamada #moon #space #artemis #nasa
Here is a closer look at the ispace HAKUTO-R Mission 2 landing site in Mare Frigoris. The landing site, at 56.0°N 1.4°E, seems to be located in a shallow depression in a fairly flat area.
https://quickmap.lroc.asu.edu/?camera=953114.2092%2C108592.7311%2C1491170.5788%2C0.1947%2C-0.8132%2C-0.5484%2C0.6746%2C-0.2948%2C0.6767%2C60&showGraticule=true&queryOpts=N4IgLghgRiBcIBMKRAXyA&features=1.40000000%2C56.00000000&layers=NrBsFYBoAZIRnpEBmZcAsjYIHYFcAbAyAbwF8BdC0ypcOKbRFOOZRBaAOnXfyJpVBFIA&proj=22
#ispace #HAKUTOR
13/n
#Firefly Aerospace’s #BlueGhost 
expected to touch down 
in March, #ispace’s #Resilience 
in May or June https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3294846/private-us-japanese-lunar-landers-head-moon-single-rocket
A new year of lunar exploration kicked off early Wednesday, when two robotic landers and a small rover began their journeys to the moon. A SpaceX rocket lifted off at 1:11 a.m. ET from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, launching two separate, uncrewed missions to the lunar surface. NBC News reports:
https://www.nbcnews.com/science/space/spacex-launch-two-moon-landers-rcna186573
Japanese space startup Ispace has successfully launched its second lunar lander, Resilience, in Florida, marking a critical step in the company’s quest to achieve a moon landing. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/01/15/japan/science-health/ispace-lunar-mission/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #sciencehealth #ispace #moon #space #rockets #nasa #startups
Both landers will land on the near side of the moon. The landing site locations are shown in the lunar map below.
1. Firefly Aerospace Blue Ghost landing site: Mare Crisium, 18.56°N 61.18°E
2. ispace HAKUTO-R Resilience landing site: Mare Frigoris, 56.0°N 1.4°E
Japanese space startup Ispace is preparing to launch its second lunar lander on Wednesday, aiming to achieve a historic milestone in private-sector space exploration. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/01/10/japan/science-health/ispace-launch-ready/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #sciencehealth #ispace #moon #space #rockets #nasa #startups
Space exploration company Ispace will launch its second moon landing mission as early as in December. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2024/09/12/japan/science-health/japan-ispace-moon-landing-mission/ #japan #sciencehealth #ispace #takeshihakamada #moon #space
In 
2019, the #Japanese #SpaceIndustry had sales of $3 billion 
. The market is dominated by : #Mitsubishi, #IHIAerospace, #NEC #SpaceTechnologies. These are supported by #Astroscale (#SpaceDebris removal), #iSpace (#rovers and #landers), #Axelspace (#microsatellites), and #GITAI (#SpaceRobots) https://www.trade.gov/market-intelligence/japan-space-industry-commercialization
Japanese space startup Ispace will reach for the moon again after its first attempt to land a rover on the lunar surface in April ended in failure. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2023/11/16/companies/japan-startup-moon-mission/?utm_content=buffer90ead&utm_medium=social&utm_source=mastodon&utm_campaign=bffmstdn #business #companies #ispace #space #moon #startups
"What would have been the first private #MoonLanding has ended in failure after Japanese startup #ispace lost contact with its lunar lander, as reported earlier by The Washington Post. As the #HakutoR Mission 1 lander inched closer to the #Moon’s surface, engineers found that they were no longer able to communicate with the spacecraft."
#Japan’s first Moon landing has ended in failure | #Space |The Verge
https://www.theverge.com/2023/4/25/23698177/japan-ispace-lunar-lander-moon-mission
From this update from ispace, it sounds like the HAKUTO-R lander ran out of fuel and could not slow down sufficiently before it met the moon. Bummer.
https://ispace-inc.com/news-en/?p=4655
#HAKUTO #ispace
11/n
A moon probe built by a Japanese startup called ispace accomplished impressive feats during its months-long mission - but apparently failed to land safely on the lunar surface: https://cosmiclog.com/2023/04/25/japanese-company-loses-contact-with-its-moon-lander/ #ispace #hakuto #moon #space
Here is my simplistic annotated graphic from 2019 of what went wrong with Chandrayaan-2 when it was lost in a hard landing.
Subsequent analysis attributed the failure to software glitches and the fact that the lander thrusters were capable of throttling between 40 to 100% but only in steps of 20%. The step size was insufficient in reducing the velocity responsively and hence velocity during the second phase of descent was more than expected. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chandrayaan-2
Looks like the HAKUTO-R landing was unsuccessful 
ispace CEO Takeshi Hakamada - “We have not been able to confirm successful landing. We have to assume…that we could not complete the landing on the lunar surface. Our engineers continue to investigate the situation.”
Reminds you of the failed attempt by the Indian spacecraft Chandrayaan-2 and Beresheet in 2019, where comm. was lost during the last few seconds of the landing sequence.
Watching the potential landing of #spacecraft on the #Moon is good way to spend my lunch hour!
Will be pretty amazing if #ispace is able to pull off a privately-funded #LunarLanding with its first #HAKUTO_R mission — it’ll be even better if it’s able to deploy the small #LunarRover and robot it’s carrying
Touchdown should be in the next half hour or so
