A private lunar lander from Japan is closing in on the moon, aiming for a touchdown in the unexplored far north with a mini rover.

The moon landing attempt by Tokyo-based company ispace on Friday Japan time is the latest entry in the rapidly expanding commercial lunar rush.

This image provided by ispace, inc. shows the Resilience lander circling the moon on June 4, 2025. ispace, inc. via AP

The encore comes two years after the company's first moonshot ended in a crash landing , giving rise to the name Resilience for its successor lander. Resilience holds a rover with a shovel to gather lunar dirt as well as a Swedish artist's toy-size red house that will be lowered onto the moon's dusty surface.

Long the province of governments, the moon became a target of private outfits in 201

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