SpaceX delays launch of Japanese moon lander for last-minute rocket checks - Space.com
SpaceX stood down from an early morning launch on Wednesday (Nov. 30) that would have sent Japan's Hakuto-R lunar lander and its United Arab Emirates rover toward the moon."Standing down from launch of ispace's HAKUTO-R Mission 1 to allow for additional pre-flight checkouts," company representatives wrote.
Related: Japanese ispace lander to carry UAE moon rover to lunar surface in 2022 .When Hakuto-R launches, it will embark on a nearly four-month journey to the moon, which will result in the first-ever soft touchdown by a private company on the lunar surface if all goes according to plan.After the lander is safely on the lunar surface, it will deploy Rashid, a small rover built by the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The 22-pound (10-kilogram), four-wheeled rover will traverse the moon for one lunar day (14 Earth days) while collecting data about the lunar surface. — Artemis moon program will boost science and private spaceflight, NASA says. — Japan's ispace aims for 2022 moon landing for private Hakuto-R spacecraft.The company has a second lunar mission planned for 2023, also expected to launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, ispace representatives have said.
The company hopes to eventually enable the development of settlements on the moon using water ice mined from the lunar surface.