Produced by: Tarun Mishra
Japan's space exploration company ispace, through its Luxembourg-based subsidiary, has completed the construction of a micro lunar rover named "Tenacious." The rover is set to be transported to Japan for integration into ispace's HAKUTO-R lander, with a planned launch later this year.
Tenacious is a compact vehicle, measuring 26 cm tall, 31.5 cm wide, and 54 cm long, with a weight of approximately 5 kg. It features a forward-mounted HD camera to capture images on the lunar surface.
The mission will launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Florida's Space Coast. The mission will mark ispace's second attempt to land on the lunar surface, following a failed attempt in April 2023.
The HAKUTO-R lander, named "Resilience," will carry Tenacious and other scientific and commercial equipment to the moon. Upon landing, the rover will deploy to conduct exploration activities.
Tenacious will communicate with ground stations on Earth via the Resilience lander, receiving commands and transmitting data back.
The development of Tenacious was partly funded by the Luxembourg Space Agency through a contract with the European Space Agency (ESA). This mission represents a significant milestone for European space exploration.
The mission underscores the collaboration between Japan and Luxembourg, highlighting Luxembourg's efforts to promote the industrialization of space resources. The mission aligns with Luxembourg's 2017 Space Resources Law.
Besides this mission, ispace is also developing its third lunar mission, scheduled to use the APEX 1.0 lunar lander and launch in 2026. This ongoing work aims to support NASA's Artemis program and further space resource utilization.