This illustration depicts the Hakuto spacecraft on the surface of the moon with the Earth in the background. By MARCIA DUNNA Japanese company is about to attempt what no other private business has done: land on the moon. Tokyo’s ispace company put its own spacecraft into orbit around the moon a month ago. On Tuesday, flight controllers will direct the craft, named Hakuto, Japanese for white rabbit, to descend from 100 kilometers high and land. An Israeli nonprofit tried to land on the moon in 2019, but its spacecraft was destroyed on impact.

Source: New York Times April 25, 2023 20:36 UTC