A Japanese private lunar lander, operated by the company ispace, crashed while attempting to land on the moon, marking a setback in the commercial space sector. Communication with the lander, named “Resilience,” was lost just two minutes before its scheduled touchdown, leading to the mission’s failure proclamation. This incident follows ispace’s first attempt in 2021, which also resulted in a crash, earning the company the moniker of “Resilience” for the current lander.
CEO Takeshi Hakamada expressed regret for the outcome, emphasizing the need for serious scrutiny regarding the repeated failures. Preliminary assessments suggest that a malfunction in the laser system responsible for altitude measurement caused the lander to descend too quickly, likely resulting in a hard landing.
Resilience was launched in January with a mini rover designed to collect lunar soil and a small artistic installation, a Swedish-style red cottage, known as the Moonhouse. The rover was meant to conduct scientific experiments and explore the moon’s surface while transmitting images back to Earth.
Despite the failure, Hakamada stated the company remains committed to future lunar missions, considering this one a learning opportunity. The company aims to launch a larger lander by 2027, with collaboration from NASA, amidst a competitive environment where several private entities are rushing to establish lunar presence. Notably, two other U.S. companies, Blue Origin and Astrobotic, plan to attempt landings by the end of the year, contributing to the growing trend of commercial lunar exploration, which has seen more failures than successes thus far.
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