Japanese Spacecraft Suddenly Lost in Moon Landing Attempt, Flight Controllers Start Investigation

On Wednesday, April 26, a Japanese spacecraft attempting to be the first commercially built spacecraft to land on the moon malfunctioned during its descent.

APNews tells us that the spacecraft was attempting to land at the Atlas crater on the moon's near side in the northeastern corner. The spacecraft was carrying a tiny lunar rover for the UAE, a toy-like robot from Japan, and private goods from customers.

Flight Controllers Lost Contact with Lunar Craft

As the spacecraft descended the final 33 feet, flight controllers lost contact with it. The Hakuto-R lander was developed by the Japanese company Ispace and launched in December by a SpaceX rocket from Cape Canaveral in Florida.

Takeshi Hakamada, CEO of Ispace, provided an update, claiming that they had not been able to confirm a successful landing and that the company would be unable to finish the landing on the lunar surface.

"At this time, HAKUTO-R Mission Control Center in Nihonbashi, Tokyo, has not been able to confirm the success of the Lunar Lander," the latest news release from Ispace reads.

Engineers from the company are presently investigating the matter. The 22-pound Rashid rover, manufactured by Dubai's Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre, was planned to explore the Atlas Crater on the moon's northeast side if successful.

Ispace's Historic Moon Mission

Ispace takes a different approach than previous lunar missions, attempting to land its spaceship on the moon as a for-profit enterprise rather than under the control of a single country.

CNN tells us that they were one of several businesses competing in the Google Lunar XPrize, which promised a $20 million prize to the company that could land a robotic rover on the moon, traverse a few thousand feet, and sends data back to Earth.

The Google-sponsored competition was canceled in 2018. However, Ispace was one of the firms that decided to keep working on the mission.

The Mission So Far

Following its December liftoff, Hakuto took a long, circuitous trip to the moon, transmitting back images of Earth along the way.

The Japanese company has posted mission updates on Twitter, including a recent snapshot of the Earth peeking out from behind the moon, which was acquired by the spacecraft as it traveled through lunar orbit.

They were bracing for incidents, noting in a December 11 post, "Recognizing the possibility of an anomaly during the mission, the results will be weighed and evaluated against the criteria and incorporated into future missions already in development between now and 2025."

While the company's attempt looks to be unsuccessful, it may continue its objective in the future. There are currently no updates on the status of the lander or its cargo.

It is also worth noting that the corporation relies on the ESA to provide critical communications with its robotic lunar lander.

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