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Riyadh Front is Rebranded as ROSHN Front

ROSHN said the rebranding emphasizes its dedication to creating holistic and sustainable communities. SPA
ROSHN said the rebranding emphasizes its dedication to creating holistic and sustainable communities. SPA
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Riyadh Front is Rebranded as ROSHN Front

ROSHN said the rebranding emphasizes its dedication to creating holistic and sustainable communities. SPA
ROSHN said the rebranding emphasizes its dedication to creating holistic and sustainable communities. SPA

Saudi Arabia’s leading national real estate developer and PIF-funded giga-project, has announced a significant step in its evolution toward becoming a multi-asset real estate developer: the rebranding of the iconic Riyadh Front as the all-new ROSHN Front.

ROSHN said a press release on the occasion that the rebranding emphasizes its dedication to creating holistic and sustainable communities that enrich the lives of those who reside, work and play there. The name change not only reflects the evolving vision of the destination, it also symbolizes a new era of development excellence that ROSHN is introducing to Riyadh.

The acquisition and rebranding of ROSHN Front marks the latest evolution in ROSHN’s strategy of building coast-to-coast in Saudi Arabia, expanding its range of operations to elevate the quality-of-life, and lead the region in innovation and disruptive technologies. This journey will transform ROSHN into a globally significant multi-asset-class developer and help fulfill the goals of Vision 2030, the press release said.

According to ROSHN’s Group CEO David Grover, "the metamorphosis of Riyadh Front to ROSHN Front is a cornerstone in ROSHN Group's evolution. This rebranding not only mirrors our deep-rooted commitment to redefining urban living in Saudi Arabia, it also cements our stance at the forefront of mixed-use community development.”

ROSHN Front comprises a mixed-use lifestyle retail and F&B destination, which welcomes over 10 million visitors annually, and a commercial district that features world-class modal workspaces.

Features of the development include 1 km of walking promenades and green spaces, and state-of-the-art facilities such as a fitness center, a four-star hotel and meeting rooms, as well as conference halls.

The mixed-use assets of ROSHN Front will complement the array of amenities being developed by ROSHN at its adjoining flagship SEDRA community in Riyadh.

Residents of SEDRA, the first phase of which was launched in October 2021, benefit from a combination of features that are unique in the market, including a design that blends traditional architectural styles with cutting-edge technology, a network of green and open spaces, pedestrian-friendly "living streets", long-term maintenance and management frameworks, and walkable access to a range of health, education, retail, entertainment and sports facilities.

In October 2022, ROSHN launched the sale of the second phase of its flagship SEDRA development, which added 2,171 homes to Riyadh’s most sought-after development; the release of the third and fourth phases will follow.

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Japan’s ispace Fails Again: Resilience Lander Crashes on Moon

Staff members and guests react as they watch the progress of Moon landing of Resilience, a Moon lander built by Japan-based startup ispace, during a live event in Tokyo, Japan, early 06 June 2025. (EPA)
Staff members and guests react as they watch the progress of Moon landing of Resilience, a Moon lander built by Japan-based startup ispace, during a live event in Tokyo, Japan, early 06 June 2025. (EPA)
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Japan’s ispace Fails Again: Resilience Lander Crashes on Moon

Staff members and guests react as they watch the progress of Moon landing of Resilience, a Moon lander built by Japan-based startup ispace, during a live event in Tokyo, Japan, early 06 June 2025. (EPA)
Staff members and guests react as they watch the progress of Moon landing of Resilience, a Moon lander built by Japan-based startup ispace, during a live event in Tokyo, Japan, early 06 June 2025. (EPA)

Japanese company ispace said its uncrewed moon lander likely crashed onto the lunar surface during its touchdown attempt on Friday, marking another failure two years after an unsuccessful inaugural mission.

Tokyo-based ispace had hoped to join US firms Intuitive Machines and Firefly Aerospace in making successful commercial moon landings amid a global race that includes state-run lunar missions from China and India.

Although the failure means another multi-year pause in Japan's commercial access to the moon, the country remains committed to the US-led Artemis program and a wide range of Japanese companies are studying lunar exploration as a business frontier.

Resilience, ispace's second lunar lander, had problems measuring its distance to the surface and could not slow its descent fast enough, the company said, adding it has not been able to communicate with Resilience after a likely hard landing.

"Truly diverse scenarios were possible, including issues with the propulsion system, software or hardware, especially with sensors," ispace Chief Technology Officer Ryo Ujiie told a press conference.

A room of more than 500 ispace employees, shareholders, sponsors and government officials abruptly grew silent when flight data was lost less than two minutes before the scheduled touchdown time during a public viewing event at mission partner Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp in the wee hours in Tokyo.

Shares of ispace were untraded, overwhelmed by sell orders, and looked set to close at the daily limit-low, which would mark a 29% fall. As of the close of Thursday, ispace had a market capitalization of more than 110 billion yen ($766 million).

"We're not facing any immediate financial deterioration or distress because of the event," CFO Jumpei Nozaki said in the press conference, citing recurring investor support.

In 2023, ispace's first lander crashed into the moon's surface due to inaccurate recognition of its altitude. Software remedies have been implemented, while the hardware design was mostly unchanged in Resilience.

$16 MILLION PAYLOAD

Resilience was carrying a four-wheeled rover built by ispace's Luxembourg subsidiary and five external payloads worth a total of $16 million, including scientific instruments from Japanese firms and a Taiwanese university.

The lander had targeted Mare Frigoris, a basaltic plain about 900 km (560 miles) from the moon's north pole.

If the landing had been successful, the 2.3-meter-high lander and the rover would have begun 14 days of planned exploration activities, including capturing of regolith, the moon's fine-grained surface material, on a contract with US space agency NASA.

Resilience in January shared a SpaceX rocket launch with Firefly's Blue Ghost lander, which took a faster trajectory to the moon and touched down successfully in March.

Intuitive Machines, which last year marked the world's first commercial lunar touchdown, also landed its second Athena lander in March, although in a toppled position just as with its first mission.

Japan last year became the world's fifth country to achieve a soft lunar landing after the former Soviet Union, the United States, China and India, when the national Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency achieved the touchdown of its SLIM lander.

The government last year signed an agreement with NASA to include Japanese astronauts in Artemis lunar missions and has supported private companies' research projects for future lunar development, assuming ispace's transportation capabilities.

"Expectations for ispace have not faded," Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said in an X post.

Although ispace will likely remain Japan's most advanced lunar transportation company, some Japanese firms may start to consider transport options from foreign entities to test their lunar exploration visions, said Ritsumeikan University professor Kazuto Saiki, who was involved in the SLIM mission.

For its third mission in 2027, ispace's US unit is building a bigger lander as part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services for the Artemis program. The company projects six more missions in the US and Japan through 2029.

"NASA increasingly needs private companies to improve cost efficiency for key missions with limited budgets," ispace CEO Takeshi Hakamada said, referring to US President Donald Trump's proposed budget cuts.

"To meet NASA's expectations, we'll support our US subsidiary to keep up with development and play a role."