SpaceX Set to Launch Private Moon Lander, Along with NASA 'Flashlight' Probe at 08:37 GMT
Arthur T Knackerbracket writes:
[Launch delayed with 'unspecified rocket problems' - will update when new date is announced. janrinok]
The launch itself is not a big deal, but it carries historic consequences. Hakuto-R, a product of Tokyo-based ispace, will attempt to deploy the company's Mission 1 (M1) lander to the lunar surface. Should Hakuto-R M1 land safely and soundly, ispace will become the first private company to accomplish this feat. A successful mission would kickstart a new era, one in which commercial providers routinely deliver goods to the Moon. Indeed, ispace's Hakuto-R Mission 1 is the first of what the company hopes will be many low-cost deliveries to the lunar surface.
The Hakuto-R M1 lander will perform exploratory duties as a stationary probe, but it will also attempt to deliver several payloads to the surface, including the 22-pound (10-kilogram) Rashid rover built by the United Arab Emirates and a transformable ball-like robot, named SORA-Q, developed by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and the TOMY toy company.
Other Hakuto-R payloads include an AI-powered flight computer from the Canadian Space Agency, a lunar camera developed by Canadian company Canadensys, a solid-state battery, a CD containing the song SORATO" performed by Japanese band Sakanaction, and panel engraved with the names of crowdfunding supporters. The Hakuto-R M1 lander is expected to land within the Moon's Atlas crater in April 2023.
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