Japanese company ispace recently attempted to land a private lunar lander on the Moon, but communication was lost during its descent and it is believed to have crashed. Only Russia, the United States and China have successfully landed on the Moon’s surface. Other companies that have made the journey or plan to do so soon include SpaceIL, which launched the Beresheet lander in 2019, but it crashed into the lunar surface; Intuitive Machines, which aims to launch its Nova-C lander in June 2023; Astrobotic, which plans to send its Peregrine lander into space on May 4, 2023; and Firefly Aerospace, which plans a lunar landing carrying NASA payloads in 2024. These companies are part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services programme, which aims to hitch rides to the Moon with private companies.
