ESA supports Moon mission carrying first European rover

Written by Copernical Team Tuesday, 03 June 2025 08:00

font size decrease font size increase font size

ispace's RESILIENCE lander and TENACIOUS micro rover on the Moon

Japanese lunar exploration company ispace will attempt to land its RESILIENCE spacecraft on the Moon no earlier than 5 June (CEST) 2025.

The European Space Agency’s (ESA) global network of ground stations is facilitating communication between the spacecraft and ispace mission control.

Click here to watch the ispace landing livestream in English.

The mission

RESILIENCE is the spacecraft element of ispace Mission 2 "SMBC x HAKUTO-R Venture Moon", the latest step in the company’s lunar exploration programme. It launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Base on 15 January 2025 and will attempt to land on the Moon’s Mare Frigoris in a few days’ time.

ispace operates RESILIENCE from its Mission Control Center in Tokyo. From there, a team monitors the spacecraft’s health, position, velocity and temperature, and sends commands to its onboard systems.