ispace Completes Success 2 of Mission 2 Milestones

RESILIENCE Lander Embarks on Second Journey to Deep Space and the Moon

ispace, inc. (ispace)(TOKYO: 9348), a global lunar exploration company, announced today that its RESILIENCE lunar lander has successfully deployed from a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket following its launch at 1:11 a.m., Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025 (U.S. Eastern Time). The deployment completes Success 2 of the Mission 2 Milestones.

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An image of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launching with the RESILIENCE lunar lander on board. (Photo: Business Wire)

“Today’s launch and deployment are another significant achievement for ispace and all of our stakeholders,” said Takeshi Hakamada, Founder & CEO of ispace. “This marks the beginning of a new chapter for our company as we develop the cislunar economy and deliver our customers payloads to the lunar surface. Now RESILIENCE is on its second journey into deep space and to the Moon. We will provide updates as we achieve further success milestones.”

Mission 2 Milestones

ispace has released a transparent set of criteria known as Mission 2 Milestones between launch and landing and aims to achieve the success criteria established for each of these milestones. The results from this mission as part of the HAKUTO-R lunar exploration program, will be weighed and evaluated against the criteria and lessons learned will be incorporated into future missions already in development.

 

 

Milestone

Milestone Success Criteria

Success 1

Complete

Completion of Launch Preparations

• Complete all development processes of the RESILIENCE lunar lander before flight operations
• Contract and prepare launch vehicle, and complete integration of lunar lander into the launch vehicle
• Prove ability to flexibly manufacture and assemble landers in various geographic locations of the world

Success 2

Complete

Completion of Launch and Deployment

 

• Complete successful separation of the lunar lander from the launch vehicle
• Reaffirm that ispace’s lander design and structure is capable of withstanding the harsh conditions during launch on its second mission, offering valuable information towards future development and missions

Success 3

 

Establishment of Steady Operation State

• Establish communication link between the lander and Mission Control Center, confirm a stable attitude as well as start stable generation of electrical power in orbit

Success 4

 

Completion of first Orbital Control Maneuver

• Complete the first orbit control maneuver, setting the lander on a course towards the Moon

Success 5

 

Completion of Lunar Flyby

• Complete a lunar flyby approximately one month after launch
• Begin Deep Space Flight operations

Success 6

 

Completion of all Deep-Space Orbital Control Maneuvers before LOI

• Complete all planned deep space orbit control maneuvers by utilizing gravity assist effects and successfully target the first lunar orbit insertion maneuver.
• Reaffirm the deep-space survivability of ispace’s lander designs, as well as the viability of space’s lunar planning.

Success 7

 

Enter Lunar Orbit

• Complete the first lunar orbit insertion maneuver and confirm that the lander is in a lunar orbit
• Reaffirm the ability of ispace to deliver spacecraft and payloads into stable lunar orbits

Success 8

 

Completion of all Orbital Control Maneuvers in lunar orbit

• Complete all planned lunar orbital control maneuvers before the landing sequence
• Confirm the lander is ready to start the landing sequence

Success 9

 

Completion of Lunar Landing Sequence

• Complete the landing sequence, verifying key landing abilities for future missions

Success 10

 

Establish Steady System after Landing

• Establish a steady telecommunication and power supply on the lunar surface after landing

Payloads

On board the RESILIENCE lunar lander will be commercial customer payloads including:

• Water electrolyzer equipment: From Takasago Thermal Engineering Co.
• Food production experiment: A self-contained module from Euglena Co.
• Deep space radiation probe: Developed by the Department of Space Science and Engineering, National Central University, Taiwan
• Commemorative alloy plate: Developed by Bandai Namco Research Institute, Inc. and modeled after “Charter of the Universal Century” from the animation Mobile Suit Gundam UC
• TENACIOUS micro rover: Developed by ispace-EUROPE, this rover will explore the landing site, collect lunar regolith, and relay data back to the lander. It will be equipped with a forward-mounted HD camera and a shovel.
• Moonhouse: A model house by Swedish artist Mikael Genberg that will be mounted on the rover.

The RESILIENCE lander will serve as a cultural artifact, carrying a UNESCO memory disk that preserves linguistic and cultural diversity.

ispace is leveraging its global presence through its three business units in Japan, the U.S., and Luxembourg, for the simultaneous development of upcoming missions. Mission 2, featuring the RESILIENCE lunar lander, is led by ispace Japan and was launched on January 15, 2025. In this mission, TENACIOUS micro rover developed by ispace Europe SA to be deployed on the lunar surface to conduct technological demonstration of regolith extraction as well as mobility on the lunar surface Mission 3, debuting the APEX 1.0 lunar lander, is led by ispace-U.S. and is expected to launch in 2026. Mission 6, which will utilize the Series 3 lander, currently being designed in Japan, is scheduled to be launched by 2027.

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About ispace, inc. (https://ispace-inc.com)

ispace, a global lunar resource development company with the vision, “Expand our planet. Expand our future.”, specializes in designing and building lunar landers and rovers. ispace aims to extend the sphere of human life into space and create a sustainable world by providing high-frequency, low-cost transportation services to the Moon. The company has business entities in Japan, Luxembourg, and the United States with more than 300 employees worldwide. For more information, visit: www.ispace-inc.com and follow us on X: @ispace_inc.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250115780079/en/

Andrew C. Ames Global Communication Specialist ispace, inc. [e-mail]