SpaceX Launches Japanese Startup Ispace’s Lunar Lander to Moon
- Hakuto-R could be first commercial spacecraft to land on moon
- Startups pursuing contracts as US-China space race heats up
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A Japanese lunar lander carrying two rovers and other payload lifted off via a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket Sunday, in a bid to become the first commercial spacecraft to land on the moon.
The launch of Tokyo-based ispace Inc.’s Hakuto-R lander from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida followed two postponements. Originally scheduled for late November, Space Exploration Technologies Corp. had stood down twice for additional pre-flight rocket checks.