A second lunar lander developed by Japanese space startup ispace Inc. will attempt to land on the moon tonight. If successful, it would be the first lunar landing ever achieved by a private company in Asia.

The lander blasted off from Earth aboard a SpaceX rocket in January and is currently orbiting the Moon at an altitude of approximately 100 kilometres, travelling at around 5,800 kilometres per hour in a circular path. Touchdown is scheduled for 4:17AM Japan time (8.17PM GMT) in the Moon's northern region, near the so-called "Sea of Ice."

Scientists hope to be able to collect samples of lunar soil using a small rover and carry out the world's first commercial transaction on the Moon by transferring ownership of the collected material to NASA. A previous attempt in 2023 by ispace at a lunar landing ended in failure after the spacecraft lost altitude data and crashed from roughly five kilometres above the surface.

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