ispace of Japan Preparing Next Moon Missions with International Partnerships, MSP Landing Sites
Hakuto-R Mission 2 on track for Q4 2024 launch of Resilience lander to undeclared location on Moon (ispace has conducted site characterization near Amundsen Crater [82.04°S, 66.36°E], ~220 km NE of Malapert Massif, a noteworthy MSP destination) carrying 5 commercial payloads including Gundam-inspired ‘Charter of the Universal Century’ and ~5kg micro-rover with 26×31.5x54cm dimensions, built by Luxembourg subsidiary; ispace working with global companies including Control Data Systems (Romania) on UWB position measurement, mu Space (Thailand) on cislunar satellite construction, and Rhea Space Activity (USA) on navigation device; Mission 3 being developed by ispace USA in conjunction with Draper Labs, General Atomics, Karman Space & Defense under US$73M CLPS contract launching to Schrödinger Basin NET 2026