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SpaceX’s Japanese Moon lander launch back on the calendar after indefinite delay
Update: After indefinitely delaying ispace’s first Moon lander launch on November 30th to fix unspecified issues with its Falcon 9 rocket, multiple sources indicate that SpaceX has put the mission back on its calendar.
Barring additional issues, the private HAKUTO-R Moon lander is now scheduled to lift off from SpaceX’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS) LC-40 pad no earlier than (NET) 3:04 am EST (08:04 UTC) on Wednesday, December 7th. The mission’s quick return after just a few days of rework is a good sign that the issue that forced SpaceX to stand down was relatively minor. Simultaneously, SpaceX is moving ahead with plans to launch its first mission for OneWeb – a low Earth orbit satellite Internet provider competing directly with Starlink – less than ten hours prior, at 5:37 pm EST (22:37 UTC) on December 6th.
SpaceX support ship Doug departed Florida’s Port Canaveral on the afternoon of December 4th, likely en route to recover Falcon 9’s payload fairing after its first OneWeb launch. If SpaceX is, in fact, working towards a December 7th launch of HAKUTO-R, twin support ship Bob will likely also head to sea within the next 24 hours.
SpaceX has delayed the launch of Japanese startup ispace’s first Moon lander, HAKUTO-R, from Wednesday to Thursday, December 1st “to allow for additional pre-flight checkouts.”
The mission will be the third Moon launch from US soil in less than four months after SpaceX’s successful launch of the South Korean Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO) in August and the debut of NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket earlier this month. Perhaps more importantly, ispace has the opportunity to become the first company in history to successfully land a privately-developed spacecraft on the Moon, a milestone that would arguably mark the start of a new era of lunar exploration.
The update that's rolling out to the fleet makes full use of the front and rear steering travel to minimize turning circle. In this case a reduction of 1.6 feet just over the air— Wes (@wmorrill3) April 16, 2024
ispace’s first HAKUTO-R Moon lander is expected to weigh approximately 1050 kilograms (~2300 lb) at liftoff and is designed to land up to 30 kilograms (~66 lb) of cargo on the lunar surface. The lander is made by several commercial partners: ispace has provided most of its design and structures, but Europe’s ArianeGroup supplied all of HAKUTO-R’s engines, plumbing, and propulsion hardware and was responsible for most of the final assembly process.
Because of ArianeGroup’s involvement, it’s likely that HAKUTO-R shares direct heritage with the European Service Module currently powering NASA’s Orion spacecraft on its first mission to the Moon. It also arguably makes the mission more of a collaboration between Europe and Japan than an exclusively Japanese mission, though HAKUTO-R will still technically be Japan’s first private mission to the Moon.
If successful, it could also become the first privately-funded Moon landing in history. But HAKUTO-R can’t claim to be the first private Moon landing attempt, a title held by Israeli company SpaceIL’s ill-fated Beresheet Moon lander. Launched by SpaceX as a rideshare passenger sitting on top of an Indonesian communications satellite, Beresheet propelled itself all the way from geostationary transfer orbit to lunar orbit over the course of about six weeks. Just a minute or so before touchdown, a manual command inadvertently shut down the spacecraft’s propulsion, causing it to impact the surface of the Moon at ~500 kilometers per hour (310 mph) – less than 8% away from a soft landing.
In September 2019, just five months later, India’s first nationally developed Moon lander got even closer to a successful landing, losing control at a velocity of just 210 km/h (~130 mph) and an altitude of 330 meters (1080 ft). Since the Soviet Union’s 1976 Luna-26 mission, only China’s national space agency (CNSA) has successfully landed on the Moon, completing three landings between 2013 and 2020. The last successful Western Moon landing (Apollo 17; also the last crewed Moon landing) occurred in 1972.
ispace’s ultimate goal is to help facilitate the creation of infrastructure capable of supporting a permanent population of 1000 people on the Moon by 2040. The Japanese startup has privately raised $210 million since it was founded in 2010. In 2022, it won a $73M NASA contract to develop a much larger SERIES-2 vehicle capable of sending either “500 kilograms to the [lunar] surface or as much as 2000 kilograms to lunar orbit.” SERIES-2 will be developed out of ispace’s US branch instead of its Japanese headquarters.
HAKUTO-R will carry seven payloads:
- A solid-state battery for ispace corporate partner NGK SPARK PLUG CO
- A Moon rover (Rashid) for the United Arab Emirates space agency
- JAXA’s transformable lunar robot
- A Canadian Space Agency flight computer prototype
- A camera system built by Canda’s Canadensys
- A panel engraved with the names of HAKUTO’s crowdfunding supporters
- A music disc containing Japanese rock band Sakanaction’s song “SORATO”
In addition to HAKUTO-R, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket will simultaneously launch the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s (JPL) Lunar Flashflight ice surveyor as a rideshare payload. After launch, Lunar Flashlight will attempt to enter an elliptical lunar orbit and use an infrared laser to (invisibly) illuminate the surface of craters that have been in shadow for millions of years. The way the surface reflects that laser light will allow the spacecraft to prospect for water ice deposits that could one day be mined and converted into rocket propellant.
Tune in below around 3:20 am EST (08:25 UTC) on Thursday, December 1st to watch SpaceX launch Japan’s first privately-developed Moon lander.
News
SpaceX’s triple-rocket that launched a Tesla into space is back on a mission
SpaceX Falcon Heavy returns after 18 months away to deliver a satellite that only it could carry.
After an 18-month absence, SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy is returning to mission on Monday morning when it’s scheduled to lift off from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center at 10:21 a.m. EDT.
The mission is called ViaSat-3 F3, and the heavy satellite payload needs to reach geostationary orbit, sitting 22,236 miles above Earth where its speed matches the planet’s rotation. Getting a satellite that heavy to that altitude demands more thrust than a single-core Falcon 9 can deliver.
This marks the Falcon Heavy’s 12th flight overall since its debut in February 2018, and its first since NASA’s Europa Clipper mission in October 2024.
Arguably, the most exciting element for spectators will be watching the booster recoveries in action when the two side boosters, B1072 and B1075, will attempt simultaneous landings at Landing Zone 2 and the newer Landing Zone 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, while the center core will be expended over the ocean.
SpaceX wins its first MARS contract but it comes with a catch
Following satellite deployment, expected roughly five hours after launch, ViaSat-3 F3 will spend several months traveling to its final orbital slot before undergoing in-orbit testing, with service entry expected by late summer 2026
As Teslarati reported, NASA awarded SpaceX a $175.7 million contract on April 16, 2026 to launch the ESA Rosalind Franklin Mars rover aboard a Falcon Heavy no earlier than late 2028, which would mark the first time SpaceX has ever sent a payload to Mars. That contract came on top of an already deep pipeline that includes the Roman Space Telescope, the Dragonfly Saturn mission, and multiple national security payloads.
SpaceX executed 165 missions in 2025 and now accounts for approximately 85% of all global orbital launches. With Starlink surpassing 10 million subscribers and an IPO targeting a $1.75 trillion valuation still ahead, Monday’s launch is one more data point in a company that has quietly become the backbone of both commercial and government space access worldwide.
Tesla is launching its solution to end Supercharger fights once and for all, eliminating any confusion on who is to charge next at a congested location.
Last year, a notable incident at a Tesla Supercharger led to a fight, and it all stemmed from a disagreement over who arrived at the location first.
Congestion at Tesla Superchargers is a pretty infrequent occurrence for most of us, but there are more congested and popular areas where wait times can be extensive. An unfortunate growing pain of EV ownership is the plain fact that chargers are not as available as gas pumps, and there are, at times, lines to charge.
This can cause tensions to flare and people to get entitled when visiting Superchargers. Nobody wants to spend hours at a Supercharger, but now, there will be no more confusion when there is a queue, and that’s thanks to Tesla’s new Virtual Queue for Superchargers.
Tesla is finally starting to build out the Virtual Supercharger Queue, according to Not a Tesla App, but it still relies on drivers to make it work.
When a driver is near a Supercharger that is full, a message will pop up on the Tesla App, using the driver’s location to determine their eligibility to join the virtual queue.
The app states:
“While the app is closed, Tesla uses your location to notify you of accurate wait times at Superchargers when you arrive.”
Another message within the app states:
“There is a waitlist to charge. Are you sure you want to start a charging session now?”
This sounds as if it will require drivers to act appropriately and only plug in when the app prompts them to do so, by letting them know it is their turn.
The app will notify the driver of their position in the queue, as well as how many vehicles are ahead of them.
Tesla launches first ‘true’ East Coast V4 Supercharger: here’s what that means
The company announced a while back that it would be working on a solution for this issue. Personally, I’ve only had to wait at a Supercharger for a charge on one occasion, and there was a line of between 3 and 10 cars during this singular occurrence.
I’m out at the Lancaster, PA Supercharger and showed up with a queue of three vehicles.
It’s now up to five and there have been several issues with order of arrival and confusion about who is first.
Any update on Supercharger queue? @elonmusk @aelluswamy @r_jegaa
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) January 31, 2026
There were no conflicts or arguments about who had arrived first, but there was some discussion between several drivers during my time there about who was to charge first. Throw a non-Tesla EV into the mix, one that can only charge at a pull-in spot, and that causes even more of a complication.
News
Tesla offers awesome Free Supercharging incentive on an unexpected vehicle
In the past, Tesla has used Free Supercharging to incentivize the purchase of its expensive vehicles, like the Model S and Model X. However, those vehicles are leaving the company lineup, and Tesla saw a benefit from applying the incentive to another car.
Tesla is offering an awesome new Free Supercharging incentive on a vehicle that is sort of unexpected.
In the past, Tesla has used Free Supercharging to incentivize the purchase of its expensive vehicles, like the Model S and Model X. However, those vehicles are leaving the company lineup, and Tesla saw a benefit from applying the incentive to another car.
Tesla North America has introduced a compelling new incentive aimed at boosting Model 3 sales. Starting with orders placed on or after April 24, buyers of the Model 3 Premium (Long Range) and Performance variants in the United States will receive one full year of complimentary Supercharging.
The offer applies exclusively to new vehicle orders and does not extend to existing owners or other trims like the base Rear-Wheel Drive model.
New orders of Model 3 Premium & Performance now come with 1 year of free Supercharging 🇺🇸
Also, all Teslas pay the lowest Supercharging rates – all others pay a ~40% premium or need a subscription
— Tesla North America (@tesla_na) April 24, 2026
The announcement underscores Tesla’s continued dominance in EV charging infrastructure.
While the incentive provides 12 months of zero-cost access to the Supercharger network, Tesla also reiterated its pricing structure: all Tesla vehicles receive the lowest Supercharging rates.
Non-Tesla EVs, by contrast, pay approximately 40 percent more per kWh or must purchase a subscription to access the network at standard rates. This tiered approach highlights the strategic value of owning a Tesla, where seamless integration with the world’s largest and most reliable fast-charging network remains a key differentiator.
For prospective buyers, the savings can be substantial. Depending on driving habits, a typical Model 3 owner might log 12,000–15,000 miles annually.
With average Supercharging costs around $0.40–$0.50 per kWh, one year of free sessions could translate to $800–$1,200 in avoided expenses.
That effectively lowers the total cost of ownership and makes long-distance travel more affordable from day one. Early delivery customers have already noted similar past incentives, with one Cybertruck owner reporting over $2,400 saved in just six months under similar offers that Tesla has deployed in the past.
The timing of the offer appears strategic. Tesla faces growing competition from other automakers expanding their own charging networks and offering aggressive EV incentives.
By bundling free Supercharging rather than discounting the vehicle’s MSRP, Tesla preserves perceived value while directly addressing one of the biggest barriers for new EV adopters: charging costs and convenience.
The move also encourages higher-mileage use of the network, generating valuable real-world data for Tesla’s autonomous driving development.
Why Tesla would apply this incentive to the Model 3 is pretty interesting. It usually is a pretty good incentive to move units out the door, so there’s some speculation whether Tesla is planning to launch new upgrades to the mass-market sedan in the coming months, and the company wants to move what will be outdated units from its inventory.
However, there is also just the idea that Tesla could be attempting to stimulate some early quarter demand for the Model 3, especially as the Model Y continues to sell very well. Tesla’s loss of the $7,500 EV tax credit last year had an impact on sales, and Tesla might be testing some formidable options to see if it can add some demand once again.
SpaceX’s triple-rocket that launched a Tesla into space is back on a mission
The FCC just said ‘No’ to SpaceX for now
