This will be the first time that a private enterprise has attempted to land on the moon, and it will be done by a company from Japan.
A month ago, the ispace firm in Tokyo successfully launched its very own spacecraft into lunar orbit. On Tuesday, flight controllers will steer the craft, which has the Japanese name Hakuto, which means “white rabbit,” to descend from an altitude of 60 miles (100 kilometers), and then land.
The Tokyo firm intends to land the first commercial vehicle on the moon.
Both a miniature lunar rover belonging to the United Arab Emirates and a toy-like robot from Japan are being transported aboard the lander that measures 7 feet in length. The Japanese robot is intended to explore the surface of the moon using its wheels.
After being launched in December, the Hakuto spacecraft embarked on a circuitous journey to the moon, during which it sent back photographs of Earth.
Only Russia, the United States of America, and China have ever successfully landed a nation’s flag on the moon. In 2019, a nonprofit organization in Israel made an attempt to land on the moon, but the landing vehicle was destroyed on impact.