TOKYO, Jun 07 (News On Japan) –
Japan’s bid for a profitable private-sector moon touchdown has led to failure for the second time, after startup ispace introduced that it misplaced communication with its lunar lander Resilience through the last descent.
The Tokyo-based firm, which developed the lander, stated contact was misplaced within the last part of its Mission 2 operation and the touchdown couldn’t be confirmed.
Ispace CEO Takeshi Hakamada acknowledged: “Recovery of communications is unlikely, and completing the Mission 2 milestone ‘Success 9’—confirmation of lunar landing—is difficult. It would be reasonable to conclude that the landing has failed.”
While the precise trigger stays below investigation, Hakamada recommended that the lander might have made a tough touchdown because of inadequate deceleration.
The Resilience lander was launched from Earth in January 2025 and entered the ultimate descent part shortly after 3 a.m. on June sixth. However, contact was misplaced, and no affirmation of touchdown was obtained even after the scheduled time.
This was ispace’s second try and land on the moon, following its first in 2023. In each instances, the objective of attaining Japan’s first personal lunar touchdown was not realized.
Source: FNN