Japanese company ispace tries the first commercial lunar landing ever.

A Japanese lunar lander, carrying a rover developed in the United Arab Emirates, will attempt to find its footing on the moon’s surface Tuesday, potentially marking the world’s first lunar landing for a commercially developed spacecraft. The lander, called Hakuto-R, is carrying the Rashid rover, which was built by Dubai’s Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC). In history, only three countries have ever executed a controlled landing on the moon — the United States, the former Soviet Union and China. Japanese company ispace, which built the Hakuto-R lander, has a different approach to prior lunar missions, aiming to land its spacecraft on the moon as a for-profit business rather than under the banner of a single country. The company has shared mission updates on its Twitter account, including a recent photograph of the Earth peeking out from behind the moon that was captured by the spacecraft as it traveled through lunar orbit. The results of the mission will be weighed and evaluated against the criteria and incorporated into future missions already in development between now and 2025.