The first commercial lander will begin a trip to the moon on Thursday. The spacecraft is made in Japan and has an unmanned cart from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) inside. Actually, the lander was supposed to be launched on Wednesday.
The mission is called Hakuto-R and was set up by the Japanese company ispace. In the long run, this aims to mine raw materials and water on the moon. That could help build a base on the moon. The mission is also intended to test the design and technology.
The scout Rashid will also accompany the lander. It was developed by the UAE. The cart has to drive around on the moon for about two weeks to conduct scientific research with cameras and sensors. Rashid weighs about 10 kilos, is over 50 centimeters long and wide and about 70 centimeters high.
The lander and the scout were actually supposed to be launched at 09:39 Dutch time. A rocket was supposed to take off from the Kennedy Space Center, the space base at Cape Canaveral. But the launch was canceled because extra checks are needed on the rocket. There is a resit on Thursday at 9.37 am. The launch is being carried out by SpaceX, the space company of billionaire Elon Musk.
It is not certain whether the lander will actually be the first commercial device to land on the moon. The spacecraft takes a major detour. As a result, it will probably not arrive on the moon until the end of April next year. Next spring, two other commercial landers will also go to the moon: Nova-C and Peregrine. It is not yet clear which of the three will arrive first.
Only the United States, Russia and China have so far managed to land on the moon in a controlled manner. Attempts by Israel and India have failed in recent years. The US is the only country to put people on the moon.
