After NASA waived-off two launch attempts in late August and early September — followed by a delay courtesy of Hurricane Ian — the U.S. space agency will try again to send up its first Artemis mission on Nov. 14, with backup dates of Nov. 16 and 19. That period overlaps with that of another mission lesser-known in the United States, but also slated to leave from its soil. A Japanese commercial company focused on building moon landers, called ispace, plans to launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket between Nov. 9 and 15. This first mission of the Hakuto-R program would carry cargo from several customers and put two rovers from the Emirati and Japanese space programs on the moon.
Elisha Sauers
Elisha Sauers writes about space for Mashable, taking deep dives into NASA's moon and Mars missions, chatting up astronauts and history-making discoverers, and jetting above the clouds. Through 17 years of reporting, she's covered a variety of topics, including health, business, and government, with a penchant for public records requests. She previously worked for The Virginian-Pilot in Norfolk, Virginia, and The Capital in Annapolis, Maryland. Her work has earned numerous state awards, including the Virginia Press Association's top honor, Best in Show, and national recognition for narrative storytelling. For each year she has covered space, Sauers has won National Headliner Awards, including first place for her Sex in Space series. Send space tips and story ideas to [email protected] or text 443-684-2489. Follow her on X at @elishasauers.
