This is an archive article published on November 23, 2023

Japan’s ispace is back with second mission, micro rover after April crash

Tokyo-based ispace is back with its second mission after the company's Hakuto-R Mission 1 crashed on the lunar surface in April.

Ispae shared this image of the "micro rover" that it will send to the Moon for Mission 2. (ispace)

2 min readKochiNov 23, 2023 05:16 PM IST First published on: Nov 23, 2023 at 05:16 PM IST

If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. That is especially true in the field of space exploration which is fraught with risks completely outside human control. Tokyo-based private space technology firm ispace’s Hakuto-R Moon lander crashed on the lunar surface in April this year but the company has already announced its second mission.

The company on November 16 unveiled the final design of its “micro rover,” which will be transported to the surface of the Moon while announcing Mission 2.

Also read | North Korea says it launched spy satellite: US, South Korea & Japan raise alarm

“Continuous mission operations are essential to provide lunar transportation and data services, so I am pleased to announce the progress we have made on the Mission 2 lander flight model and the final design of the micro rover. In particular, I am proud of all the employees who have made this possible, who, in the short time since completing Mission 1 nearly six months ago, have incorporated the necessary improvements to advance this mission on schedule,” said founder and CEO Takeshi Hakamada in a press statement.

# lunar