by 
The tiny Hakuto-R spacecraft and lunar lander is currently on its way to the Moon, but it has managed to capture this stellar view of Earth, in what is an encouraging start for the Japanese private mission.
Tokyo-based company ispace’s Hakuto-R spacecraft snapped its first images since launch on Sunday, showing the first signs of life during a journey that will last about four months.
The lander launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at 2:38 ET December 11 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. About 19 hours after separating from its launch vehicle, the Hakuto-R spacecraft captured its first images using its mounted camera, ispace announced on Twitter.
Although the crescent shape is associated with the Moon, the image is actually that of the Earth as seen from cislunar space. A sliver of the planet is illuminated by sunlight, while a plate mounted on the spacecraft is visible in the right corner of the image.
G/O Media may receive a commission
The spacecraft captured another image with a multi-camera imaging system developed by Canadensys Aerospace Corporation, revealing a more intimate view of Earth and its familiar blue color.
“We are very pleased with the performance of the imaging system and the quality of the first in-space images we have obtained,” said Frank Teti, general manager of Canadensys, which designed and built the imaging system. declaration. “Designing systems to operate in the hostile environment on the lunar surface is always a challenge, but we believe we have solved it. We can’t wait to share equally spectacular images when we land on the Moon.”
Hakuto-R’s Mission 1 (M1) will attempt to accomplish what no other private mission has achieved before: successfully land on the surface of the Moon. Israel’s SpaceIL and Israel Aerospace Industries attempted to land its Beresheet lander on the Moon in 2019. However, computer glitches and communication problems led Beresheet to crash into the lunar surface.
If ispace were to become the first private company to land on the moon, it could usher in a new era of commercial landings on the lunar surface. The M1 Hakuto-R lander will attempt to deliver its payloads to the Moon, including the 22-pound (10-kilogram) Rashid rover built by the United Arab Emirates and a ball-like transformable robot, called SORA Qdeveloped by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and toy company TOMY.
But this is the first test flight for the Japanese firm, and there is still a long way to go. The Hakuto-R M1 lander is expected to rendezvous with the Moon in April and then attempt a landing. So far, ispace has confirmed that the lander has established a stable attitude, as well as stable power supply in orbit, the company he wrote on Twitter.
We will be following its journey closely and hope for a graceful landing on the lunar surface in a few months.
Moreover: SpaceX is struggling to launch a long-awaited lunar mission
