News Desk
24 June 2025, 02:54 AM IST
This is the company`s second failed Moon landing attempt
This image provided by ispace, inc. shows the Resilience lander circling the moon, June 4, 2025 (Photo: AP)
A faulty laser navigation system was to blame for the crash of Japanese space company ispace’s lunar lander earlier this month, officials confirmed at a press briefing in Tokyo on Tuesday. It marks the company’s second failed attempt to land on the Moon in as many years.
The lander, named Resilience, was targeting a landing site in the Moon’s far northern region, Mare Frigoris – Latin for “Sea of Cold”. However, the descent ended in disaster after the lander’s laser range finder failed to correctly measure the distance to the lunar surface. According to ispace, Resilience was descending at a dangerously high speed of 42 metres (138 feet) per second when contact was lost, leading to an immediate crash.
NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter captured images of the crash site last week, confirming the wreckage of both Resilience and its mini rover.
The incident echoes ispace’s first mission failure in 2023, when a software malfunction led to a crash during the final stage of descent. Both accidents occurred at the most critical phase of the landing sequence.
Of seven private attempts at Moon landings in recent years, only one has been fully successful: Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lander, which touched down safely in March. Notably, Blue Ghost shared a ride with Resilience aboard a SpaceX rocket that launched from Florida in January.
Beyond Firefly, only five nations have successfully achieved lunar landings: the United States, the Soviet Union, China, India, and Japan. Among them, only the United States has sent astronauts to the Moon, during NASA’s Apollo missions over 50 years ago.
Despite two setbacks, ispace remains committed to lunar exploration. The company is planning a third mission for 2027, this time with NASA collaboration, followed by a fourth. CEO and founder Takeshi Hakamada, speaking in Japanese, reaffirmed the company’s determination: “We have not stepped down in the face of setbacks. We’re firmly taking the next step toward our future missions.”
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AloJapan.com