Japan’s ispace is preparing to attempt a second Moon landing on Friday, more than two years after its first mission ended in failure moments before touchdown.
The private space company is aiming to deliver its Resilience lander safely onto the lunar surface at 4.17am JST (11.17pm GST) on June 6, with a livestream on the company's website scheduled to begin an hour earlier.
If successful, it would be a major milestone for ispace and will help validate the role of commercial firms in lunar exploration.
The company's spacecraft - which was carrying the UAE's Rashid rover and payload from other countries - crashed on the lunar surface during a landing attempt in 2023.
“Just over two years ago, on April 26, 2023, ispace, operating Hakuto-R Mission 1, became the first private company in the world to attempt a lunar landing," company founder Takeshi Hakamada said on Wednesday.
"While the mission achieved significant results, we lost communication with the lander just before touchdown.
“Since that time, we have drawn on the experience, using it as motivation to move forward with resolve. We are now at the dawn of our next attempt to make history."
The mission is part of a broader vision by ispace, which is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, to help build what it calls a cislunar economy, in the space between the Earth and the Moon.
But the company must first prove that it can land a spacecraft intact, something only a handful of government space agencies and two private firms have achieved to date.
Second chance
After ispace’s 2023 lunar landing attempt, engineers discovered that the Hakuto-R lander had misjudged its altitude. Believing it had landed when it was still in the air, it shut off its engines prematurely, causing it to crash.
It was the first attempt by a private company and, despite failing, it provided crucial data for engineers.
The Resilience lander is carrying commercial payloads, including the Tenacious rover by the European Space Agency, and aims to demonstrate ispace’s capability to offer transportation services to the Moon. A third mission is planned for 2026.
Tough field
Several private companies have attempted to land on the Moon in recent years.
In January 2024, US-based Astrobotic launched its Peregrine lander, but a propellant leak soon after deployment led to mission failure.
The following month, Intuitive Machines achieved the first successful private Moon landing with its Odysseus lander, though the spacecraft tipped over after touchdown.
In March this year, Texas-based Firefly Aerospace became the first company to complete a fully successful private lunar landing with its Blue Ghost mission, operating on the surface for two weeks.
Intuitive Machines followed with Athena, which also reached the Moon but landed on its side, prematurely ending the mission.
Creating lunar access
While the short-term goal of these missions is proving technical capability, experts say the long-term stakes are much higher.
Dr Dimitra Atri, an astrophysicist at New York University Abu Dhabi, said the Moon could serve as a critical hub for future deep space missions.
“Harnessing the water on the Moon to produce oxygen and hydrogen, essential components of rocket fuel, holds the potential to transform lunar mining operations into a ‘gas station’ for future space missions,” he told The National.
“The Moon could serve as a launching point for spacecraft, offering a cost-effective alternative due to its lower gravity.”
Commercial players such as ispace hope to play a leading role by offering regular transport to and from the lunar surface.
Anna Hazlett, founder of UAE space advisory firm AzurX, told The National that if companies succeed in establishing access, it would change how space missions are designed.
“A commercial lunar transport service lowers the barrier to entry for space agencies and research institutions,” she said.
“It’s a shift from bespoke, typically government-led missions to scalable lunar logistics, much like what SpaceX did for low Earth orbit.”
Dr Atri said this business model would also benefit scientists like him.
“If I want to carry out a scientific experiment on the Moon, I will have to design the entire mission, propose it to a space agency, and the launch will be in about a decade from conception,” he said.
“In the case of private companies, I only need to focus on building my experiment and the company will deliver the payload to the Moon rather quickly."
Nerve-racking moments
ispace has made upgrades to its lander systems, including improved software and navigation tools, for the second landing.
Because the Moon has no atmosphere, engineers cannot use parachutes to slow down the spacecraft. Instead it has to use its propulsion system to change velocity and attitude.
The unstable terrain of the lunar surface can hamper a safe landing.
“We strongly believe this endeavour and its long-term success will contribute to making life on Earth sustainable for all humanity,” said Mr Hakamada.
If the vehicle successfully lands, it will operate on the Moon for two weeks.
Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill
Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
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TEACHERS' PAY - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
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Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
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THE SPECS
Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Transmission: six-speed manual
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
