Hakuto-R Mission 2 is a robotic lunar landing mission planned for December 2024.[1][2] Developed by ispace, the lander will deliver a new micro rover manufactured by the company, and other payloads. Like Hakuto-R Mission 1 this mission will serve as a technology demonstration, with the final goal of providing reliable transportation and data services on the moon. The lander is named Resilience.[3]
Background
The project began development after the Hakuto-R Mission 1 in 2023. The mission plans to use the same overall design with upgrades from the flight data collected in mission 1.[4]
Lander specifications
The Resilience lander will stand 2.5 by 2.3 meters and has a weight of 340 kg. The lander will include a micro rover that is planned to perform an ISRU demonstration.[5]
Mission
The mission is planned to launch no earlier than December 2024.[6] The lander will also carry a memory disk developed by the UNESCO organization carrying 275 languages and other cultural artifacts.[7] The lander completed successful vacuum testing in June 2024.[8] In August 2024, the rover which will be integrated with the lander was completed.[9]
Landing site
Mare Frigoris is the dark band extending from upper left to lower right.
The intended landing site for mission is in Mare Frigoris, a location allowing continuous line-of-sight radio communication from Earth.[6]
Rover
The mission includes a 5 kg (11 lb) rover designed and manufactured in Luxembourg which will explore the area around the landing site, after being lowered to the lunar surface from the lander.[10]
Payloads
In addition to the rover the lander will carry payloads from Takasago Thermal Engineering Co., Euglena Co., National Central University and Bandai Namco Research Institute, Inc.[6]
