In the race to the moon, some companies are sprinting, while others are taking a more measured approach. Ispace, a Japanese lunar exploration company, falls into the latter category. Nearly five months ago, a SpaceX rocket launched from Florida carrying two lunar landers: Blue Ghost from Firefly Aerospace and Ispace's Resilience. While Blue Ghost made history in March as the first commercial robotic vehicle to land upright on the lunar surface, Resilience is just now arriving at its destination. This slower journey, however, is not without its merits.

The Journey of Resilience

Resilience, Ispace's uncrewed lunar lander, is scheduled to attempt its touchdown at 3:24 p.m. ET on Thursday. This landing attempt comes three months after Blue Ghost's historic achievement. Despite missing out on being the first commercial lander, Ispace sees value in its deliberate approach. "What is good about this four- or five-month trajectory is, every day, there are small things that happen … something we didn’t expect," said Ispace Chief Financial Officer Jumpei Nozaki. "This (journey to the moon) is really a learning phase."

The Benefits of a Slow Approach

Ispace's strategy involves a low-energy transfer trajectory, often likened to coasting on a bike and using minimal fuel. This slow, cruising route allows the lander to travel hundreds of thousands of miles, leveraging the moon's gravity to naturally capture the spacecraft into lunar orbit. This method contrasts sharply with the more direct paths taken by competitors like Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost and Intuitive Machines' Nova-C lander, which reached the moon much more quickly.

The extended journey offers Ispace several advantages. It provides valuable time to verify various systems, such as sensors, navigation, and software, ensuring they function correctly before the critical landing phase. "Every day, there are small things that happen … something we didn’t expect," Nozaki explained. "This journey to the moon is really a learning phase."

Learning from Past Experiences

Ispace's first attempt to land a spacecraft on the moon ended in a crash in April 2023, after a 4½-month journey. This experience has informed the company's approach to Resilience. "We saw that they are very reactive to the presence of a stimulus," said Nozaki. "They sense it, and then the tower goes towards this stimulus, attaching itself to our metal pick or a fly buzzing around."

The Science Aboard Resilience

Resilience is not just a test of Ispace's engineering capabilities; it also carries a suite of scientific instruments designed to conduct groundbreaking experiments on the lunar surface. These include a module to test algae-based food production, a deep-space radiation monitor, and a water electrolyzer experiment aimed at generating hydrogen and oxygen in the lunar environment.

The New Landing Site

Ispace's first lunar lander crashed while descending toward the Atlas crater, a feature on the northeast side of the moon's near face. This time, Resilience is targeting a different location: Mare Frigoris, or the "Sea of Cold," a 750-mile-long plain in the moon's far northern reaches. This site is significantly flatter than the Atlas crater, potentially offering easier-to-navigate terrain.

The Future of Lunar Exploration

If Resilience lands upright, Ispace will become the first commercial company outside the US to achieve such a feat, joining Firefly Aerospace as one of the only two companies to complete a fully successful touchdown of a robotic lunar lander. This achievement would be a significant milestone for Ispace and a testament to the value of a deliberate approach.

The Broader Implications

Ispace's journey with Resilience highlights the importance of learning and adaptation in space exploration. While the company's first attempt ended in failure, the lessons learned have informed a more cautious and thorough approach. This strategy not only increases the chances of success but also provides valuable data and experience that can be applied to future missions.

The Next Steps

Ispace plans to livestream Thursday's touchdown attempt on YouTube and X, offering the world a front-row seat to this historic event. If successful, Resilience will pave the way for future missions, including Ispace's upcoming lunar lander, Apex 1.0, which will be flown in partnership with Massachusetts-based company Draper under NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative. This initiative is part of NASA's Artemis program, which aims to return humans to the moon for the first time in over 50 years.

The journey of Ispace's Resilience lander is a testament to the value of patience and learning in space exploration. While the company may not have been the first to land a commercial vehicle on the moon, its deliberate approach offers long-term advantages and valuable insights. The success of Resilience would not only mark a significant achievement for Ispace but also contribute to the broader goals of lunar exploration and the eventual return of humans to the moon.

As Ispace prepares for its landing attempt, the world watches with anticipation. The lessons learned from this mission will shape the future of lunar exploration, guiding both Ispace and other companies as they strive to unlock the mysteries of the moon.