ispace prepares RESILIENCE lander for historic moon landing after completing all orbital maneuvers

Tokyo-based lunar exploration company ispace, inc. (TSE: 9348) has confirmed the successful completion of all orbital maneuvers required ahead of its RESILIENCE lander’s scheduled soft landing attempt on June 6, 2025 (JST). This development marks the eighth major milestone of Mission 2, part of its flagship “SMBC x HAKUTO-R” lunar program. The lander is now in a stable 100-kilometer circular orbit, having completed the longest propulsion burn of the mission thus far.

The update places ispace in a pivotal position within the rapidly evolving global commercial space sector, where private companies are racing to establish lunar logistics infrastructure. With NASA’s Artemis program, China’s increasing lunar activity, and renewed private-sector interest in off-Earth mining and payload transport, ispace’s progress could redefine how lunar business models are valued by investors and regulators alike.

The orbital achievement comes after RESILIENCE was launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on January 15, 2025, and signals readiness for what could become one of the first successful commercial landings on the Moon.

What Milestones Has ispace’s RESILIENCE Achieved So Far?

According to the company’s published milestone roadmap, RESILIENCE has now ticked off Success 8, involving the entry into a circular lunar orbit. This follows the previously completed deep space and lunar flyby phases, including a highly elliptical orbit that took RESILIENCE to a maximum altitude (apolune) of around 5,800 kilometers and a perilune of 70 kilometers.

The latest maneuver took place at 5:27 p.m. JST on May 28, 2025, lasting approximately 10 minutes—a critical full-duration engine burn that allowed the spacecraft to transition into a precise 100 km orbit, with each revolution around the Moon taking two hours. The operation was directed from ispace’s Mission Control Center in Nihonbashi, Tokyo.

Backed by earlier learnings from Mission 1, which narrowly missed a soft landing in 2023, the latest maneuvers incorporated operational and design modifications. ispace CEO Takeshi Hakamada noted that the company is “confident in our preparations,” citing the cumulative experience of two lunar missions.

What Payloads Is RESILIENCE Carrying to the Moon?

True to ispace’s business model as a lunar payload logistics provider, Mission 2 carries both commercial and cultural payloads. These include:

Among the commercial and cultural payloads onboard the RESILIENCE lander is a water electrolyzer developed by Takasago Thermal Engineering Co., which is designed to test the feasibility of life support systems that could one day enable sustainable human presence on the Moon. Complementing this is a food production module provided by Euglena Co., focused on evaluating the growth and viability of microalgae in lunar environmental conditions, with potential applications in closed-loop biological life support systems.

Also included in the payload suite is a deep space radiation monitor constructed by the Department of Space Science and Engineering at National Central University in Taiwan. This instrument will collect radiation exposure data crucial for planning long-duration lunar and deep-space missions. In a nod to cultural heritage, Bandai Namco Research Institute has contributed a commemorative alloy plate modeled after the “Charter of the Universal Century” from the anime Mobile Suit Gundam UC, integrating Japanese pop culture into a scientific mission.

One of the mission’s more technically ambitious components is the TENACIOUS micro rover, developed by ispace Europe SA. Once deployed, it will traverse the lunar surface, collect regolith samples, and transmit high-definition imagery and telemetry data back to the lander. Mounted on the rover is a miniature Moonhouse designed by Swedish artist Mikael Genberg, symbolizing the human aspiration to inhabit other worlds through a blend of art and science. Adding further cultural significance, the RESILIENCE lander also carries a UNESCO Memory of the World disk—a durable data capsule preserving elements of linguistic and cultural diversity for posterity.

These payloads represent a blend of scientific utility and soft power diplomacy, enabling ispace to stake a claim as a lunar delivery partner not just for space agencies but also for cultural and commercial entities worldwide.

How Is the Market Reacting to ispace’s Mission 2 Progress?

While still in the pre-revenue phase of lunar service monetization, ispace’s TSE-listed shares (TSE: 9348) have been closely watched by speculative investors and institutional analysts alike. Trading volume surged in the days following the May 28 milestone update, and the stock showed modest upward momentum, reflecting growing confidence in the mission’s trajectory.

Analysts tracking Japan’s nascent space economy suggest that a successful landing would de-risk the company’s technology stack and could catalyze follow-on contracts or public-private partnerships, particularly from countries seeking lower-cost lunar logistics providers.

The firm has not yet disclosed revenue figures linked to Mission 2, though the cumulative payload revenue opportunity from current and future missions is estimated to exceed $60 million per mission cycle, based on commercial customer disclosures and industry benchmarking.

What Are ispace’s Long-Term Business Goals in Lunar Exploration?

RESILIENCE is part of a broader phased strategy involving multiple missions. While Mission 2 is led by ispace Japan, future missions will involve a tri-continental operational model:

Mission 3 is scheduled for launch in 2027 and will be led by ispace’s U.S. branch. This mission will introduce the APEX 1.0 lunar lander, developed in collaboration with Team Draper, marking a key step in expanding the company’s operational capabilities across continents. Designed to build on the lessons learned from Missions 1 and 2, APEX 1.0 will further validate ispace’s platform as a reliable vehicle for lunar cargo delivery and exploration.

Concurrently, preparations are underway in Japan for Mission 4, which will feature a next-generation Series 3 lander currently under development. This advanced lander is designed with expanded payload capacity to support more complex scientific and commercial objectives. Like Mission 3, Mission 4 is also targeted for a 2027 launch and will play a strategic role in scaling ispace’s vision of high-frequency, low-cost lunar transportation services.

ispace’s ambition is to offer high-frequency, low-cost transportation to the Moon, enabling new business models in ISRU (in-situ resource utilization), science missions, and payload-as-a-service offerings. With staff strength exceeding 300 employees across offices in Japan, the U.S., and Luxembourg, the company is positioning itself as a global leader in lunar logistics.

Why Does This Matter for the Commercial Space Sector?

The upcoming RESILIENCE landing is more than just a technical milestone—it serves as a proof of concept for the entire commercial lunar delivery model. If successful, it could reshape how emerging players and governments perceive the feasibility of outsourced lunar infrastructure.

The market for lunar transport, which includes lander services, rover deployment, regolith sampling, and communications relay, is projected to grow to over $10 billion by 2035, according to pre-pandemic market research from Euroconsult and Allied Market Research. ispace’s model, blending mission transparency with modular development, could offer a replicable pathway for other private lunar ventures.

What’s Next for ispace and Mission 2?

The final descent is currently scheduled for 4:24 a.m. JST on June 6, 2025 (19:24 UTC on June 5). A global live stream event will begin roughly an hour earlier, offering real-time footage with English translation. If successful, the landing will unlock several new operational protocols, including rover deployment and real-time regolith telemetry from the Moon’s surface.

Following the landing, ispace is expected to begin performance validation of payloads, initiate rover mobility testing, and assess communication loops between the lander, rover, and Earth.

Investors and observers will be watching not just for a clean touchdown but for what comes after—operational integrity, payload function, and data return. Analysts suggest that a successful full-cycle mission could open the door to early commercial revenue recognition, joint ventures, and even pre-booked contracts for future missions.

With RESILIENCE completing 8 of its 10 planned mission milestones, ispace (TSE: 9348) is approaching a critical inflection point. While success is not guaranteed until the soft landing is achieved, institutional sentiment remains moderately bullish, contingent on a safe touchdown and effective payload operations.

In a broader context, the mission reflects growing maturity in the NewSpace ecosystem, where private sector players are no longer just launch providers or data processors but end-to-end infrastructure partners for lunar ambitions. As June 6 approaches, ispace’s trajectory could become a bellwether for the entire commercial Moon economy.