ispace lunar lander Resilience has reached a major milestone in commercial space exploration, successfully entering lunar orbit. This brings the Japanese company one step closer to its planned lunar landing in June 2025 and ushers in a new era of commercial lunar exploration.
Lander’s Lunar Orbit Milestone for Resilience
The countdown to the Resilience lander’s impending landing began on May 7, 2025, when ispace announced that the lander had reached orbit around the Moon. As the lander gets ready to make its historic lunar touchdown in a few weeks, this is the start of a crucial phase of the mission.
“The countdown to lunar landing has now officially begun,” ispace shared in a statement. The lander’s successful entry into lunar orbit sets the stage for its final descent and touchdown on the lunar surface.
An Important Task for Private Space Companies and Japan
Alongside Firefly Aerospace’s lunar lander, SpaceX launched the Resilience lander in January 2025. In March 2025, Firefly became the first commercial firm to successfully land a spaceship on the Moon. Intuitive Machines did the same a few days later, but it met with disaster when its lander landed sideways in a crater.
iSpace is now taking its turn, with a projected lunar landing date of the first week of June. For Japan, this project is particularly significant because ispace’s Resilience lander is the nation’s first attempt at a private space mission landing on the Moon. Additionally, it is iSpace’s second attempt following the tragic 2023 crash of its first lander on the Moon.
What’s Inside the Resilience Lander?
The Resilience lander is equipped with a small rover designed to gather and examine lunar dirt. The rover will conduct studies to gain a better understanding of the composition of the Moon’s surface. These efforts might pave the way for future lunar exploration and perhaps lunar habitation.
The rover’s primary objective is to gather soil samples, which will provide crucial data for research on the moon. The mission’s success might revolutionize our understanding of the Moon and enhance commercial space exploration capabilities.
Looking Ahead: Touchdown in June
Now that the lander is in lunar orbit, ispace’s next goal is to safely and successfully land Resilience in June. The firm’s staff will keep a careful eye on the lander’s progress as it gets ready to touchdown on the moon. Private lunar exploration will advance significantly if this mission is completed successfully, marking a major milestone for iSpace.
Source: NBC News