TOKYO, June 5, (V7N) – Japanese space startup ispace is poised to attempt a lunar landing early Friday with its unmanned lander Resilience, marking its second effort following a crash in 2023.

Touchdown is scheduled for 4:17 am Japan time on Friday (1917 GMT Thursday) and will be streamed live on the company’s website.

If successful, ispace will become the first non-U.S. private company to achieve a soft landing on the Moon—joining an elite club that includes only five countries: the Soviet Union, United States, China, India, and Japan.

“We are confident in our preparations for success,” said ispace CEO Takeshi Hakamada, highlighting that lessons from the previous mission have shaped their current approach.

Resilience shares a SpaceX rocket ride with Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost, which successfully landed on the Moon earlier this year. However, Resilience took a slower trajectory.

The mission aims to demonstrate reliable, cost-effective private lunar transport—an increasingly competitive sector in global space exploration.

While previous missions by U.S.-based Intuitive Machines and Firefly Aerospace have shown mixed outcomes, ispace is hoping for a historic milestone in private spaceflight.

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