On June 5, 2025, Japanese lunar exploration company ispace is poised to make history with its ambitious mission to land the RESILIENCE spacecraft on the Moon. The landing will be supported by the European Space Agency’s (ESA) extensive global network of ground stations, which will facilitate communication between the spacecraft and ispace's mission control center. For those eager to witness this monumental event, a livestream of the ispace landing will be available in English.
The RESILIENCE mission is a crucial element of the ispace Mission 2 SMBC x HAKUTO-R Venture Moon program, marking the latest advancement in the company's ongoing lunar exploration endeavors. Launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Base on January 15, 2025, the spacecraft is currently en route to its landing site at Mare Frigoris on the Moon's surface.
Operating from its Mission Control Center in Tokyo, ispace's dedicated team is responsible for monitoring the spacecraft's health, position, velocity, and temperature. They will also send essential commands to the RESILIENCE's onboard systems as it prepares for its descent.
The European Space Agency plays a vital role in this mission by providing the necessary radio link for communication between the RESILIENCE spacecraft and mission control. This is facilitated through ESA’s network of satellite communication antennas, which are remotely controlled from the European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) in Germany. The network includes three 35-meter deep space antennas located in Spain, Argentina, and Australia, as well as a 15-meter antenna in French Guiana. Additionally, the commercial Goonhilly Earth Station Ltd in the UK is contributing significant support through the extended Estrack network.
Throughout the months-long journey, ESA's Estrack stations have been instrumental in supporting the RESILIENCE mission, tracking it during its low-energy lunar transfer orbit. As the spacecraft enters lunar orbit and begins its descent, Estrack will continue to monitor its approach, providing crucial telemetry data necessary for confirming a successful landing.
Following a successful landing, the RESILIENCE spacecraft will conduct experiments on the Moon's surface for approximately two weeks. This phase will involve collaboration with the mission’s commercial and institutional partners, with ESA and Goonhilly antennas continuing to transmit commands and receive scientific data from the lander. A significant highlight of this mission is the deployment of the first European-built lunar rover, named TENACIOUS.
The lightweight micro rover, designed and manufactured by ispace's Luxembourg subsidiary, ispace EUROPE S.A., was co-funded by LuxIMPULSE, the Luxembourg National Space Programme. This initiative is managed by the Luxembourg Space Agency and implemented by ESA. ispace Europe is equipped with a lunar test yard, a clean room, and a control center in Luxembourg, which will be utilized to operate TENACIOUS during its activities on the lunar surface.
In 2020, NASA awarded ispace Europe a contract for the collection of lunar regolith samples as part of the Artemis program. The activities conducted by TENACIOUS will significantly contribute to this effort. Commands for the rover will be transmitted from ispace’s Luxembourg control center to ESOC in Germany, where they will be relayed through ESA’s antennas to the lunar surface. The ispace lander will then receive these commands and forward them to TENACIOUS.
As the rover embarks on its mission, data such as images captured by its cameras will be transmitted back to Earth via the same communication chain, enabling researchers to analyze the lunar environment and advance our understanding of the Moon.
In conclusion, the upcoming landing of the RESILIENCE spacecraft is not only a significant milestone for ispace but also a collaborative achievement that showcases the integration of international space agencies and companies in the pursuit of lunar exploration.
