Is iSpace getting into the rare helium mining business?

One of the next private companies to attempt a moon landing in the new year will be the Japanese iSpace, due for a launch no earlier than January 2025. Its first attempt met with failure in April 2023. The January launch will take place on a SpaceX Falcon 9 in a ride-share with Firefly’s Blue Ghost lunar lander and will take several months to reach the moon.

The lander, dubbed the Resilience, will carry a micro rover called the Tenacious, to the lunar surface. The Tenacious will collect...