Japanese lunar lander completes all deep space maneuvers ahead of lunar orbital insertion

ispace's HAKUTO-R Mission 1, the first privately-led Japanese mission to land on the lunar surface, has successfully completed all deep space orbital control manoeuvres ahead of lunar orbital insertion (LOI), the Japanese lunar exploration company announced on Saturday.

The lunar lander completed its fourth orbital control maneuver at 08:58 (JST) (5:28 am IST) on March 17, 2023. It was the last orbital control maneuver before LOI maneuvers.

According to ispace, the lander is now in a stable attitude on its trajectory to the Moon and preparations for the first LOI maneuver are already underway. The successful completion of the first LOI maneuver means that the lander will enter the lunar gravity region and orbit around the Earth's only natural satellite.

The lander is currently in a stable attitude on its trajectory to the Moon. Final preparations are now underway for the first LOI maneuver, which means that the lander will enter the lunar gravity region and orbit around the Moon. (2/3)

— ispace (@ispace_inc) March 18, 2023

The HAKUTO-R Mission 1 lander launched on December 11, 2022, on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida, and is expected to land on the lunar surface at the end of April 2023. Subsequent missions are presently under development and are scheduled for launch in 2024 and 2025.