At 23:40 tonight (April 25) Vietnam time, the Hakuto-R lander, developed by Japan, is expected to land at the Atlas crater, located on the southeastern edge of the Moon.
The Japanese company ispace is on the brink of a historic moment as it prepares to land the Hakuto-R spacecraft on the Moon for the first time (Photo: ispace).
This spacecraft is managed by the private company ispace from Japan, which was launched from Earth in December 2022, atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
The spacecraft is currently in orbit approximately 100 km above the Moon’s surface and has captured many noteworthy images, most of which have been sent back to Earth.
In order to land on the Moon, the lander must navigate through several critical stages, including activating its propulsion system to decelerate from orbit.
Subsequently, the spacecraft will utilize a series of pre-programmed commands to automatically adjust its orientation and land on the Moon. This entire process is estimated to take around one hour.
If everything goes smoothly, this will mark a historic milestone for Japan’s aerospace industry, as it will be the first time they achieve a “soft landing” of a lander on the Moon. Previously, this mission has been successfully accomplished by three countries: the United States, Russia, and China.
In case of any issues, the spacecraft will implement contingency plans, including changing the landing site, as well as postponing to April 26, May 1, or May 3.
The Falcon 9 rocket from SpaceX carrying the Hakuto-R lander departed from Earth in December 2022 (Photo: SpaceX).
Hakuto-R originated from an idea in the Lunar XPrize competition organized by Google. The prize from the competition awarded $20 million to Japanese developers, enabling them to conduct the first private lunar landing.
After launching from Earth at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA, the spacecraft has embarked on a five-month journey to the Moon. A model of the Hakuto-R successfully landed in simulation exercises conducted on March 21 and April 13.
