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A Japanese startup will attempt a tricky lunar touchdown on Friday with an unmanned lander named Resilience, two years after its first try which crashed onto the Moon’s surface.
If successful, it will be only the third private mission to the Earth’s rocky natural satellite ever completed, and the first by a company based outside the United States.
The startup, ispace, says touchdown is expected at 4:17 am Japan time on Friday (1917 GMT Thursday) with the potentially nail-biting attempt streamed on its website.
Resilience is “ready to attempt a historic…
