The private RESILIENCE module of the Japanese company ispace reached lunar orbit on May 7, while its landing on the satellite's surface is scheduled no earlier than June 5. The module was designed to support missions to explore the Moon, create maps of its surface, and extract natural resources.
The lander is designed specifically for the low-cost and frequent delivery of tools and supplies to the satellite. About this reported on the company's website.
If successful, the RESILIENCE module will conduct a number of scientific experiments using instruments from other private companies. These include equipment for electrolysis of water, with which it is planned to produce oxygen on the Moon, and a module for growing algae as a potential food source. In addition, the module will measure cosmic radiation on the way from Earth to the Moon and on the orbit and surface of the satellite for a university in Taiwan.
The TENACIOUS rover, about half a meter in size and weighing five kilograms, will explore the landing site of the module, collect lunar regolith and transmit surface data to the module itself. ispace has already had experience delivering rovers to the moon, albeit unsuccessfully - earlier on the moon, the Hakuto-R module with scientific instruments and a lunar rover crashed.
In addition to scientific instruments, the module also carries cultural heritage. In particular, it is to deliver to the Moon a metal plate with a fragment of the Japanese science fiction novel Gundam UC, a UNESCO memorial disc dedicated to the diversity of human languages and cultures, and a model of a lunar dwelling by a Swedish artist.
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