Recently, Japanese space startup ispace Inc launched its own private lander M1 to the Moon under its HAKUTO-R mission. The launch was carried out by SpaceX in Cape Canaveral in the US state of Florida.
Key Points: HAKUTO-R is Japan’s first-ever lunar mission and the first of its kind by a private company. HAKUTO-R means ‘white rabbit’ in Japanese.
Significance: If successful, the mission would allow Japan and the UAE to join the United States, Russia and China as the only nations that have successfully landed a craft on the lunar surface.