The M1 spacecraft, which Japanese company iSpace aimed to send to the Moon within the framework of the HAKUTO-R mission, was launched with SpaceX’s Falcon-9 rocket. The rocket took off from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 4:38 p.m. Japan time.
The M1 spacecraft, which will drop two robotic rovers and the 4-wheeled Rashid reconnaissance vehicle developed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to the lunar surface, will leave the Falcon 9 rocket approximately 47 minutes after takeoff and begin its journey to the Moon.
The spacecraft is expected to land on the Moon’s surface at the end of April next year.