ispace Inc of Japan had anticipated that the Hakuto-R lander would land on the moon, but contact has been lost.
It appears that an attempt to land the first privately-funded spacecraft on the moon failed.
After a 100-day journey, ispace Inc anticipated its Hakuto-R lander would land in the Atlas crater on the moon.
The signal from the lander was lost after it completed its final orbit of the moon and decelerated from 6,000 kilometers per hour to a few meters above the surface.
Takeshi Hakamada, CEO of ispace, stated, “We must assume that we could not complete the lunar landing.”
The lander carried two small lunar rovers, Rashid, created by the United Arab Emirates, and SoraQ, an innovative spherical rover created by Japan.
Although the mission did not particularly break new ground in terms of exploration, it was closely observed.
Technological advancements and the declining cost of space launches have made the commercial exploitation of the moon a realistic possibility.
However, as the saying says, space is difficult.
In 2019, SpaceIL’s private lunar lander failed in its endeavor to land on the moon.
The only successful “soft landings” on the moon have been conducted by state-sponsored space agencies of the United States, the former Soviet Union, and China.
Despite the apparent failure of Hakuto-R, other commercial moon missions are following closely behind.
US-based Astrobiotic hopes to launch its Peregrine lunar lander to the moon as early as June. Intuitive Machines of Houston, Texas plans to launch two Nova-C lunar landers later this year.
The following year, ispace intends to return with a second lunar lander, followed by a third that will deliver commercial cargo to lunar orbit and the lunar surface.
