"Our HAKUTO-R M1 lander is currently orbiting the Earth at a distance of approx. 580,000 km. In the coming weeks it will transition to a lunar orbit where a series of maneuvers targeting landing will be performed." — Tiago Monteiro Padovan: Spaceflight Dynamics Engineer
On Dec. 11, 2022, our HAKUTO-R M1 lunar lander launched on a @SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, marking the beginning of its journey to the Moon. The lander has been in operation for over 90 days, and the next phase of the mission—reaching lunar orbit—is just around the corner. (1/3)
Our flight team expects to complete all deep space orbital maneuvers around mid-March, followed by a Lunar Orbital Insertion maneuver to occur around late March. (2/3)
As we set our sights on landing in late April, we invite you to learn more about Mission 1 and our company’s vision in this video here: (3/3)
On Jan. 20, our HAKUTO-R M1 lander reached it’s furthest point, approx. 1.4 million km from Earth. Since then, it has been making its way closer again, and is now approx. 450,000 km from Earth and approaching lunar orbit.
Mission Milestone 6 ✅! Our HAKUTO-R Mission 1 lander has successfully completed all deep space orbital control maneuvers before lunar orbital insertion (LOI)! Under the direction of our Ops team from our MCC in Tokyo, the lander completed its 4th maneuver on March 17th. (1/3)
The lander is currently in a stable attitude on its trajectory to the Moon. Final preparations are now underway for the first LOI maneuver, which means that the lander will enter the lunar gravity region and orbit around the Moon. (2/3)
An announcement is expected upon successful completion of the LOI maneuver. Stay tuned for more M1 updates! (3/3)Read more: https://ispace-inc.com/news-en/?p=4440#ispace #hakuto_r #lunarquest
ispace Completes Success 6 of Mission 1 Milestones18 Mar, 2023HAKUTO-R M1 Lunar Lander Completes All Deep Space Maneuvers Prior to Lunar Orbit InsertionTOKYO—March 18, 2023—ispace, inc., (ispace) a global lunar exploration company, today announced that its HAKUTO-R Mission 1 lunar lander has successfully completed Success 6 of its Mission 1 Milestones by completing all deep space orbital control maneuvers before lunar orbital insertion (LOI).The Mission 1 lander, which was successfully launched by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on Dec. 11, 2022, completed its fourth orbital control maneuver at 08:58 (JST) on March 17, 2023, under direction of ispace engineers in the Mission Control Center in Nihonbashi, Tokyo. The orbital control maneuver was the last orbital control maneuver before LOI maneuvers, and was successfully executed using the lander’s main propulsion system.The lander completed its first orbit control maneuver in December 2022, followed by a second orbital control maneuver in January 2023. Since then, the lander has also conducted successful maneuvers in February 2023.The lander is currently in a stable attitude on its trajectory to the Moon. Final preparations for the first LOI maneuver are now in progress. The next announcement is expected upon successful completion of the LOI maneuver, which means that the lander will enter the lunar gravity region and orbit around the Moon.Mission 1 MilestonesFor Mission 1, ispace has set 10 milestones between launch and landing, and aims to achieve the success criteria established for each of these milestones. Recognizing the possibility of an anomaly during the mission, the results will be weighed and evaluated against the criteria and incorporated into future missions already in development between now and 2025. Mission 2 and Mission 3, which also will contribute to NASA’s Artemis Program, will further improve the maturity of ispace’s technology and business model. Future announcements on progress of milestone achievement are expected to be released once attained.
The above diagram approximates the position of the M1 lander on March 18, 2023, and is for visualization purposes only. Actual position, distances and scale of spacecraft and stellar bodies may differ.
ispace Completes Success 7 of Mission 1 Milestones21 Mar, 2023HAKUTO-R Mission 1 Lunar Lander Successfully Enters Lunar OrbitTOKYO—March 21, 2023—ispace, inc., a global lunar exploration company, announced today that its HAKUTO-R Mission 1 Lunar Lander is now safely orbiting the Moon following a lunar orbit insertion maneuver, thereby successfully completing Success 7 of its Mission 1 Milestones.The Mission 1 Lander performed its first lunar orbit insertion maneuver in accordance with the mission operation plan, at 10:24 (JST), on March 21, 2023, under the direction of ispace engineers at the HAKUTO-R Mission Control Center in Nihonbashi, Tokyo. After a controlled burn from the lander’s main propulsion system lasting several minutes, the maneuver was successfully completed.In general, all orbital control operations for Mission 1 have been completed as planned following launch. While the lander has performed multiple deep space maneuver operations, this maneuver represents the longest burn performed by the propulsion system during the mission. These functions during the approximately three-month period verify that the lander performs as designed and demonstrates the high operational capability of ispace engineers to perform long-term mission operations.The achievement demonstrates ispace’s ability to successfully deliver spacecraft and payloads into a stable lunar orbit. The successful insertion of the lander into lunar orbit is an important step toward the establishment of a payload transportation service, as it demonstrates that ispace is capable of transporting customer payloads to orbit around the Moon. Future ispace missions will involve deployment of satellites into lunar orbit.Currently, ispace is in active negotiations with a number of global companies regarding future lunar missions, many of which have identified demand not only for lunar landings but also for transportation to orbit around the Moon.During Mission 3, two relay satellites are planned to be injected into lunar orbit to establish communications with the landing site on the far side of the Moon. The valuable data and know-how gained from today’s operation is being incorporated into mission planning for Mission 3 in order to enhance technical reliability.The completion of all lunar orbital maneuvers prior to the beginning of the landing sequence—Success 8 of the Mission 1 Success Milestones—is scheduled to be announced around late-April 2023. The lunar landing, Success 9, is then scheduled to take place around late-April 2023. Specific information on date and time of the landing will be announced in the future.Mission 1 MilestonesFor Mission 1, ispace has set 10 milestones between launch and landing, and aims to achieve the success criteria established for each of these milestones. Recognizing the possibility of an anomaly during the mission, the results will be weighed and evaluated against the criteria and incorporated into future missions already in development between now and 2025. Mission 2 and Mission 3, which also will contribute to NASA’s Artemis Program, will further improve the maturity of ispace’s technology and business model. Future announcements on progress of milestone achievement are expected to be released once attained.
ispace engineers celebrating the successful maneuver at the HAKUTO-R Mission Control Center in Nihonbashi, Tokyo, Japan
Hello from lunar orbit! After last week's successful lunar orbital insertion maneuver, this image of the Moon was captured by our lander-mounted camera during HAKUTO-R Mission 1. More stunning views to come!
“Since we have successfully completed the Lunar Orbit Insertion Maneuver, we have arrived in a stable orbit around the Moon. In orbit, the lander periodically enters the Moon's shadow, causing eclipse from the lander's perspective similar to what's seen from Earth.” (1/2)
“Every eclipse poses challenges—for example, since the lander is in the dark, the temp of devices can drop quickly as its natural heater (the Sun) is hidden. The lander is equipped to automatically handle this harsh environment."—Neo Masawat: Spaceflight Operations Engineer (2/2)
Has there been mention of whether they tried to image the Earth and moon together in the same frame while they were so far out, ala the Artemis Earth-moon full disk photos?Quote from: Phil Stooke on 03/27/2023 06:16 pmNo mention of it, and if they had done so I expect we would have seen the images.The large bright crater in the released image is Langrenus, with its three smaller attendants nearby. The smooth darker area is Mare Fecunditatis, the Sea of Fertility. Rotate 180 degrees to put north up.
No mention of it, and if they had done so I expect we would have seen the images.The large bright crater in the released image is Langrenus, with its three smaller attendants nearby. The smooth darker area is Mare Fecunditatis, the Sea of Fertility. Rotate 180 degrees to put north up.
“Our M1 lander remains in a stable orbit around the Moon. As Ground Controllers, we work to maintain communication with the lander and prepare for tasks and events such as Moon occultations, which is when the Moon comes between the Earth and the lander." (1/2)
"This means we’re unable to talk to the lander for a period of time, so it’s our job to ensure all equipment is working correctly, allowing the lander to automatically function during communication link downtimes.” — Alex Einbinder & Ponglert Rattanachinalai: Ground Controllers
We've got the moon in our sights! The Canadensys multi-camera AI-enabled lunar 360-degree imaging system is in lunar orbit aboard the Japanese ispace lander and has collected spectacular images of our Moon. Read more on our website: [https://canadensys.com/canadensys-aerospace-lunar-imaging-system-captures-moon-from-lunar-orbit/]
Japanese lunar lander company ispace says its HAKUTO-R M1 lander is set to land no earlier than April 25 at 1640 GMT. The lander is currently in a 100 x 2,300 km orbit around the Moon.
ispace Announces Earliest Scheduled Lunar Landing Date for HAKUTO-R Mission 112 Apr, 2023Historic Landing Set for April 25, 2023 (UTC)TOKYO—April 12, 2023—ispace, inc., (ispace) a global lunar exploration company, announced today that the earliest scheduled landing date for the HAKUTO-R Mission 1 Lunar Lander is set for Tuesday, April 25, 2023, at 16:40 (UTC).*The above dates and times are subject to change depending on operational conditions.As of April 12, 2023, the Mission 1 lander is orbiting the Moon in an elliptical orbit with an altitude of about 100 km at the perilune (periapsis) and about 2300 km at the apolune (apoapsis). After insertion into lunar orbit, the lander’s onboard camera successfully photographed and acquired images of the Moon.The lander is scheduled to perform multiple orbital control maneuvers to reach 100 km circular orbit around the Moon to complete Success 8 of the Mission 1 Milestones.At approximately 15:40 on April 25, 2023, (UTC), the lander is scheduled to begin the landing sequence from the 100 km altitude orbit. During the sequence, the lander will perform a braking burn, firing its main propulsion system to decelerate from orbit. Utilizing a series of pre-set commands, the lander will adjust its attitude and reduce velocity in order to make a soft landing on the lunar surface. The process will take approximately one hour.Should conditions change, there are three alternative landing sites and depending on the site, the landing date may change. Alternative landing dates, depending on the operational status, are April 26, May 1, and May 3, 2023.“To all of our supporters and everyone who has been looking forward to the day when we will land on the Moon, I am pleased to announce the scheduled landing date for Mission 1,” said Takeshi Hakamada, Founder and CEO of ispace. “What we have accomplished so far is already a great achievement, and we are already applying lessons learned from this flight to our future missions. I would like to once again express my heartfelt thanks to those who have worked so hard on this mission, including the engineers who are carrying out the long-term operations since our launch back in December. The stage is set. I am looking forward to witnessing this historic day, marking the beginning of a new era of commercial lunar missions.”The completion of all lunar orbital maneuvers prior to the beginning of the landing sequence—Success 8 of the Mission 1 Success Milestones—is scheduled to be announced in late-April 2023.A live-streaming broadcast from Tokyo is being planned for the landing day. More details will be announced once they become available.Mission 1 MilestonesFor Mission 1, ispace has set 10 milestones between launch and landing, and aims to achieve the success criteria established for each of these milestones. Recognizing the possibility of an anomaly during the mission, the results will be weighed and evaluated against the criteria and incorporated into future missions already in development between now and 2025. Mission 2 and Mission 3, which also will contribute to NASA’s Artemis Program, will further improve the maturity of ispace’s technology and business model. Future announcements on progress of milestone achievement are expected to be released once attained.
Mission Milestone 8 ✅!We are excited to share that our HAKUTO-R M1 lander has completed all planned orbital control maneuvers! (1/4)
On April 25 at approx. 15:40 (UTC)/11:40 (EST), the lander will begin the landing sequence, performing a braking burn, firing its main propulsion system to decelerate from orbit. (2/4)
Utilizing a series of pre-set commands, it will adjust its attitude and reduce velocity in order to make a soft landing on the lunar surface. The process will take about 1 hour. (3/4)
Should conditions change, there are 3 alternative landing sites and, depending on the site, the landing date may change. Alternative landing dates run through May 3. (4/4)Read more here: https://ispace-inc.com/news-en/?p=4611#ispace #HAKUTO_R #lunarquest
11 days until our HAKUTO-R M1 scheduled landing on the Moon! Here’s an image of our Assembly, Integration and Testing (AIT) Team installing the landing gear onto the flight model last year at @IABG_mbH's Space Centre. #ispace #HAKUTO_R #lunarquest
