Balanced News: Eyeing a new lunar economy, ispace plans to land on the moon at the end of April

In December, Tokyo-based ispace launched its Hakuto-R lunar lander on board a Falcon 9. The lander is now on track to reach the moon at the end of April, and will provide operational data that will inform subsequent missions. The company’s ultimate aim is to kickstart the lunar economy, largely through resource exploration and extraction. The lander and rover will be important information-gathering sources as the company plans future missions. The company is also planning to send commercial payloads to the lunar surface.