A Japanese spacecraft is headed for the Moon, on course to attempt a pinpoint landing using technology that transforms the process of descending onto the lunar landscape from finding a place where it is easy to land to touching down where you want to land.

Once Japan’s H3 rocket is finally ready, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. plans to launch it into space at least six times a year, according to several media reports.

Japan will join the group of nations headed for the Moon next week when it launches a spacecraft designed to make a precision landing on the lunar surface.

Welcome to the Launch Roundup! This week, we will look at the latest launches and news from SpaceX, Rocket Lab, Firefly Aerospace, and Amazon. And, did you know that Japan is gearing up to launch the world’s fourth mission to land on the Moon this year? We’ve got the details.

The failure of Virgin Orbit’s LauncherOne in January and JAXA’s Epsilon rocket last October during each rocket’s sixth launch were both caused by components becoming dislodged in the second stage propulsion systems. Eighteen satellites were lost.

Japan’s new H3 rocket failed in flight last week, OneWeb moved within one launch of providing global broadband service, and Relativity Space’s Terran 1 failed to get off the launch pad.

Relativity Space and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) will attempt to launch new boosters while SpaceX sends a resupply ship to the International Space Station (ISS) this week.

Maxar Technologies will become a private company through a merger with private equity firm Advent International after not receiving any other acquisition proposals during a 60-day “go shop” period.

Japan’s new rocket fizzled on the pad last week as the United States and Russia prepared for key launches this week to the International Space Station (ISS).

This is turning out to be a particularly busy year for flights to the moon, with commercial companies and universities taking leading roles. Let’s look at the status of spacecraft that are at, headed for, or being prepared for launch to our nearest celestial neighbor.