Ispace, a Japanese space exploration company, has joined a growing list of private companies that have unsuccessfully attempted to land a probe on the Moon. So far, only Russia, the United States, and China have succeeded in landing devices on the lunar surface. In April 2019, the Bereshit probe, developed by Israeli non profit SpaceIL and Israel Aerospace Industries, failed after an engine failure and crashed on the Moon. Ispace, which had been one of five finalists in the international Google Lunar XPrize competition in 2010, lost contact with its Hakuto probe during a landing attempt on the moon. The Japanese company is working on two more lunar expeditions, the first of which could launch in 2024.
Meanwhile, several US companies are also planning to send probes to the moon in the next few years. Intuitive Machines will launch its Nova-C lunar probe in June, which will carry five NASA scientific measurement devices and several sculptures by artist Jeff Koons titled “Phases of the Moon.” Pittsburgh-based Astrobotic plans to send its Peregrine probe in May, which will carry onboard instruments and devices from six countries, including a rover designed by students at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.
These companies are part of NASA’s program to send scientific equipment to the Moon through private companies and are expected to join Firefly Aerospace, which plans to send its own lunar lander in 2024.