TOKYO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 7, 2025--
ispace, inc. (ispace) ( TOKYO: 9348 ), a global lunar exploration company, announced today that its RESILIENCE lunar lander successfully entered lunar orbit on May 7, 2025, at 5:41 a.m. JST (May 6, 2025, 20:41 UTC). This marks the completion of Success 7 milestone of Mission 2 “SMBC x HAKUTO-R Venture Moon.”
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ispace engineers performed the injection maneuver from the Mission Control Center in Nihonbashi, Tokyo, Japan in accordance with the mission operation plan. The orbital maneuver required a main thruster burn lasting approximately 9 minutes, the longest to date during Mission 2. RESILIENCE is now maintaining a stable attitude in its planned orbit above the lunar surface. Mission operations specialists are now preparing for final orbit maneuvers after reaffirming ispace’s ability to deliver spacecraft and payloads into lunar orbit. A lunar landing is scheduled for no earlier than June 5, 2025 (UTC) (June 6, 2025, JST).
“First and foremost, we are extremely pleased that the RESILIENCE lander successfully reached lunar orbit as planned today,” said Takeshi Hakamada, Founder & CEO of ispace. “We have successfully completed maneuvers so far by leveraging the operational experience gained in Mission 1, and I am very proud of the crew for successfully completing the most critical maneuver and entering lunar orbit. We will continue to proceed with careful operations and thorough preparations to ensure the success of the lunar landing.”
Previously, RESILIENCE completed all deep space orbital maneuvers at 10:00 UTC on April 24, 2025, returning the lander from deep space near to the Moon in order to complete the orbit injection. At its furthest distance, RESILIENCE was 1.1 million kilometers from Earth. Before that RESILIENCE completed a lunar flyby, verifying operation of the main propulsion system, as well as the related guidance, control, and navigation system. Following the flyby, the lander continued its deep space journey, spending approximately two months in a low-energy transfer orbit.
RESILIENCE was launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at 6:11:39 UTC, Jan. 15, 2025, and was successfully deployed from the rocket at 7:44:24 UTC. The RESILIENCE lander has completed the Earth orbit (Phase 1 in the figure) as well as the lunar flyby, known as Success 5. It has completed the low energy transfer orbit (Phase 2 in the figure) with completion of all deep space maneuvers and is now in lunar orbit.
Mission 2 Milestones
ispace has released a transparent set of criteria known as Mission 2 Milestones between launch and landing and aims to achieve the success criteria established for each of these milestones. The results from this mission as part of the HAKUTO-R lunar exploration program, will be weighed and evaluated against the criteria and lessons learned will be incorporated into future missions already in development.
Mission 2 Payloads
On board the RESILIENCE lunar lander will be commercial customer payloads including:
The RESILIENCE lander will serve as a cultural artifact, carrying a UNESCO memory disk that preserves linguistic and cultural diversity.
ispace is leveraging its global presence through its three business units in Japan, the U.S., and Luxembourg, for the simultaneous development of upcoming missions. Mission 2, featuring the RESILIENCE lunar lander, is led by ispace Japan and was launched on Jan. 15, 2025. In this mission, TENACIOUS micro rover developed by ispace Europe SA to be deployed on the lunar surface to conduct technological demonstration of regolith extraction as well as mobility on the lunar surface Mission 3, debuting the APEX 1.0 lunar lander, is led by ispace-U.S. and is expected to launch in 2026. The company’s fourth mission, which will utilize the Series 3 lander, currently being designed in Japan, is scheduled to be launched by 2027.
About ispace, inc. ( https://ispace-inc.com )
ispace, a global lunar resource development company with the vision, “Expand our planet. Expand our future.”, specializes in designing and building lunar landers and rovers. ispace aims to extend the sphere of human life into space and create a sustainable world by providing high-frequency, low-cost transportation services to the Moon. The company has business entities in Japan, Luxembourg, and the United States with more than 300 employees worldwide. For more information, visit: www.ispace-inc.com and follow us on X: @ispace_inc.
ispace Completes Success 7 of Mission 2 Milestones
BERLIN (AP) — A pop-up art show featuring contemporary art, including video and audio installations, photography and traditional oil paintings, is set to open at Germany's Bellevue Palace this week before the German presidential residence closes for renovation.
At a press preview on Monday, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said he was pleased that the mostly emptied-out Berlin residence was being opened to art and to the public.
“We need art," Steinmeier said. “A democracy without free art loses its capacity for self-criticism, and art without freedom loses its social relevance.”
The former Prussian royal palace, built in the 18th century, is set to undergo extensive renovations, including a repair of the roof, a new air conditioning system and upgraded offices. The work is expected to last eight years, meaning Steinmeier is not expected to return to the residence. His second and final term ends next year.
The pop-up show Freiraum Kunst, which roughly translates as “free art space,” was organized by the city’s Academy of Arts.
The president of the academy, Manos Tsangaris, thanked Steinmeier for the opportunity to use “these wonderful spaces."
“An opportunity like this to truly bring art to life is something we greatly appreciate,” he said.
It opens to the public Friday and runs until June 28. During this time, the president's residency, which is normally not freely accessibly, will be open to anyone who manages to book a free ticket online.
People’s interest in getting a glimpse inside the official presidential residence was so great that the website crashed just a few hours after it went live last month.
The temporary art show is also certain to attract a lot of interest with works by well-known artists Katharina Grosse, Wolfgang Tillmans and Monica Bonvicini, among others.
Upon entering the building, visitors will be able to see two paintings by artist El Bocho. The first one is an oversized portrait of a young woman with bright orange hair called “Die Bundespräsidentin,” or The Female President.
Across from it hangs a painting of three faceless men in suits called “Die Alten” or “The Old Ones.” The question the artists wants to raise, said curator Anh-Linh Ngo, is why Germany has never had a female president so far.
In general, all artists were given a free hand in what messages they wanted to convey to the public and many used the opportunity to interact with the normally political space, the organizers said.
Artist Karin Sander created a miniature sculpture of Steinmeier which she placed on a pedestal in the “political speeches room” — the only space the artists were asked to not alter as it has to stay untouched until moving day — in case the president needs to give an ad hoc political speech.
So now, a 36-centimeter (14-inch) tall sculpture of the president made of plaster stands on a pedestal in the center of the room under sweeping chandeliers and framed by light-blue silk curtains. It will keep that position until the real Steinmeier, whose role is largely ceremonial, either needs to give a speech or officially opens the president's interim residency near Berlin's central train station.
The overall move, which has already started, is expected to be finished by the end of the summer.
Before visitors finish their art tour, they pass through the former lobby, where film screenings, dance and music performances and readings will take place. They will also be able to meet with the artists.
Workers install the artwork "Freiraum Kunst" by Christian Awe on the roof of the German President's residency Bellevue Palace as part of an exhibition of contemporary art at the building in Berlin, Germany, Monday, June 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
Media cover the sculpture "Bundespraesident Frank-Walter Steinmier 1:5" during the press preview of an exhibition of contemporary art at the German President's residency, Bellevue Palace, in Berlin, Germany, Monday, June 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
Media shoot the painting "Die Bundespraesidentin" (The Federal President) during the press preview of an exhibition of contemporary art at the German President's residency, Bellevue Palace, in Berlin, Germany, Monday, June 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier speaks in front of the collage "Hard String", an artwork by Monica Bonvicini, during the press preview of an exhibition of contemporary art at the German President's residency, Bellevue Palace, in Berlin, Germany, Monday, June 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
People walk in front of an untitled painting of Katharina Grosse, during the press preview of an exhibition of contemporary art at the German President's residency, Bellevue Palace, in Berlin, Germany, Monday, June 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
A person takes a photo of the painting "Im Buero des Bundespraesidenten" (In the office of the Federal President), by Christopher Lehmpfuhl, during the press preview of an exhibition of contemporary art at the German President's residency, Bellevue Palace, in Berlin, Germany, Monday, June 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
