Japan’s Resilience Moon Lander Eyes Historic Touchdown June 5

SCIENCE

By Aniket Chakraborty June 4, 2025 Arrow Image Credit | @ispace_inc | X

The landing site? Mare Frigoris — the Sea of Cold, near the Moon’s north.

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This milestone marks the climax of ispace’s Mission 2 in the HAKUTO-R program.

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Launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 on January 15, RESILIENCE took the scenic route.

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It used a low-energy transfer orbit, performing flybys and precise deep-space burns.

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After entering lunar orbit on May 7, ispace engineers fine-tuned the descent path.

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The 2.3-meter, 340 kg lander carries a water electrolyser and algae-based food tech.

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It also houses a micro rover for lunar resource experiments—aiming for sustainability.

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Following a crash in 2023, this upgraded lander hopes to rewrite ispace history.

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If RESILIENCE succeeds, Japan will lead the commercial lunar frontier with pride.

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