Ispace reveals cause of second lunar lander crash

Japan Times

24-06-2025

Japanese startup Ispace has concluded that a hardware anomaly in a laser-based landing sensor caused the failure of its Mission 2 lunar landing earlier this month, the company announced Tuesday.
The company's 'SMBC x Hakuto-R Venture Moon' lander, officially named Resilience, made a hard landing on the lunar surface in the early hours of June 6.
After 18 days of technical review, Ispace concluded that the laser range finder (LRF) — a key sensor used to measure altitude during descent — failed to provide accurate data in the final phase of landing, leaving the lander unable to slow down in time.
'Despite the united efforts and dedication of the Ispace team, our second attempt at a lunar landing was unsuccessful,' said company CEO Takeshi Hakamada. 'We deeply regret that we were unable to meet the expectations of our shareholders, payload customers, Hakuto-R partners, government officials and all others who supported us.'
According to Ispace, the LRF failed to detect a strong enough reflection from the lunar surface, resulting in the loss of reliable altitude measurements. The company ruled out software issues, propulsion failures and power system abnormalities as contributing factors.
Telemetry data pointed to two likely causes: degraded sensor performance during flight or a hardware breakdown — not a software issue like the startup's first attempt with Mission 1, which also ended in a hard lunar landing in 2023.
In a news conference Tuesday, the company's Chief Technology Officer Ryo Ujiie stressed that the company had conducted verification testing, including outdoor trials, but said 'We need to reconsider how we operate.'
Chief Technology Officer for Ispace Ryo Ujiie (left), founder and CEO Takeshi Hakamada (center), and CFO and Director Jumpei Nozaki attend a press conference in Tokyo on June 6. |
AFP-JIJI
Lunar landing technology is highly complex, with a highly limited number of companies and facilities that have the capacity and knowledge to pull off a mission successfully. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) successfully landed its unmanned probe 'SLIM' on the moon in January last year, with Japan joining the United States, Soviet Union, China, Russia and India as the only countries to achieve a lunar landing. However, due to an engine issue, SLIM touched down at an unexpected speed and altitude, causing it to land in an upside-down position with its solar cells facing west.
As part of its measures to prevent another hard landing, Ispace plans to overhaul its landing sensor strategy, including a review of LRF configuration, selection and operations. The company will also convene an external review panel of third-party experts and expand collaboration with JAXA to strengthen its technical capabilities.
The enhanced development and testing protocols are expected to increase costs by up to ¥1.5 billion ($10.3 million) for its next two missions: the Team Draper Commercial Mission 1 (Mission 3) and Mission 4.
However, the company said the additional costs will be realized over time and will not affect its earnings forecast for the fiscal year ending March 2026.
Ispace also reaffirmed that its future mission schedule remains unchanged, with its next landing attempt targeted for 2027.
'Ispace will not let this be a setback,' Hakamada said. 'We will not stop here, but as determined pioneers of the cislunar economy, we will strive to regain the trust of all stakeholders and embark on the next mission. Never quit the lunar quest.'