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Indian Express
23-06-2025
- Science
- Indian Express
NASA captures crash site of Japanese ‘Resilience' lunar lander on the Moon
NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) has taken a clear image showing the crash site of Japan's Resilience moon lander, built by Tokyo-based company ispace. The lander tried to touch down on June 5, in the Mare Frigoris region of the Moon but lost contact during descent. The image captured by NASA shows a dark spot with a light ring around it, likely caused by the hard impact and moon dust due to the disturbance by the Japanese lander. This is ispace's second failed attempt to land on the Moon. The Resilience spacecraft was trying to land safely in Mare Frigoris, an area of the Moon that has been formed by ancient lava flows. But soon after starting its landing, ispace lost contact with the lander. Later, it was confirmed that the lander had crashed to the surface of the Moon. The image captured by NASA's LRO shows a dark spot (called regolith) where the spacecraft hit the Moon and disturbed its surface. The light ring around the crash site likely came from small particles spread out by the impact. Scientist Mark Robinson confirmed that the crash happened about 2.4 kilometres away from the planned landing spot. A small micro-rover named Tenacious, made by ispace's European team, was also lost in the crash. It also carried a small piece of artwork called 'Moonhouse' created by Swedish artist Mikael Genberg. The artwork was a tiny red-and-white model of a Swedish-style house, meant to represent human creativity and the idea of living on the Moon. This artwork was part of a symbolic mission that blended space exploration with art. Sadly, the rover crashed during its mission, and Moonhouse now lies amidst the wreckage. This was ispace's second failed Moon mission. Its first lander also crashed in April 2023. Despite these failures, ispace is still one of the few private companies working to explore the Moon. The crash shows how hard space travel is, especially on the Moon, where everything must work perfectly. While the crash is a setback, NASA's images of the site provide useful data to ispace to help understand what went wrong with its lunar lander. As both private companies and national space agencies plan more Moon missions, such information could be potentially important for learning, improving, and being prepared for future landings on the lunar surface.
Time of India
23-06-2025
- Science
- Time of India
NASA captures crash site of Japanese moon lander Resilience in detailed lunar photo
NASA 's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) has captured a high-resolution image revealing the crash site of Japan's Resilience moon lander, developed by Tokyo-based private firm ispace. The lander was attempting a historic touchdown on June 5, 2025, in the Moon's Mare Frigoris region, a vast ancient lava plain, but communication was lost shortly after its descent. The newly released image shows a dark smudge surrounded by a faint bright halo, a clear sign of the vehicle's high-speed impact and the resulting disruption of lunar soil. This marks the second failed lunar landing attempt by ispace. NASA tracks Japan's failed moon landing attempt in ancient volcanic region The Resilience spacecraft was aiming for a controlled landing in Mare Frigoris, a region shaped by massive basaltic lava flows over 3.5 billion years ago and later deformed by crustal buckling, forming prominent wrinkle ridges. Shortly after initiating its landing sequence, the ispace Mission Control Center lost contact with the lander. Analysis confirmed that the vehicle had likely crashed. The small Tenacious microrover, developed by ispace's European team in Luxembourg, was also lost during the failed landing. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Memperdagangkan CFD Emas dengan salah satu spread terendah? IC Markets Mendaftar Undo NASA's image reveals lunar scars NASA's LRO image clearly shows a dark mark at the impact site, where the spacecraft disrupted the Moon's topsoil, known as regolith. A faint bright halo around the crash point resulted from fine particles being scattered across the surface. According to Mark Robinson, the principal investigator for the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera, this visual evidence confirms the crash, which occurred about 2.4 km from the originally intended landing spot. Art and ambition lost in the crash The microrover Tenacious carried a unique piece of art, 'Moonhouse' by Swedish artist Mikael Genberg, a miniature model of red and white Swedish-style homes symbolising human presence and creativity on the Moon. This symbolic payload now lies among the wreckage, highlighting the fusion of art, exploration and private space ambitions. A repeated setback for ispace This was ispace's second lunar mission to end in failure. The company's first lander also crashed during its attempted landing in April 2023. Despite the setbacks, ispace remains among a small group of private firms pushing forward in the new era of commercial lunar exploration. The crash underscores the challenges of spaceflight, especially on the Moon, where terrain, timing and technology must align perfectly. While the crash is a disappointment for ispace, the successful imaging by NASA's orbiter provides valuable data and insights into the incident. As private and national space agencies continue their lunar ambitions, such documentation is vital for learning, improving designs and preparing for future missions, including eventual crewed landings and lunar habitation.
Yahoo
08-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Japanese Lunar Lander Crashes In Second Failed Mission
A private Japanese lunar lander crashed during an attempted touchdown on the moon Friday. This marks the second failed mission for the Tokyo-based global lunar exploration company, ispace. The lander, named Resilience, lost communication less than two minutes before its scheduled landing in Mare Frigoris, a flat, crater-filled region on the moon's northern near side. A preliminary analysis indicated the laser system for measuring altitude malfunctioned, causing the lander to descend too fast. 'Based on these circumstances, it is currently assumed that the lander likely performed a hard landing on the lunar surface,' ispace said in a statement. 'This is the second time that we were not able to land. So we really have to take it very seriously,' CEO and founder Takeshi Hakamada told reporters, per Associated Press. He apologized to contributors and added that the mission was 'merely a stepping stone' to a larger lander planned for 2027 with NASA involvement. 'Engineers did everything they possibly could' to ensure success, he said minutes before the attempted landing. The 7.5-foot Resilience, launched in January from Florida on a SpaceX rocket, carried an 11-pound, four-wheeled rover named Tenacious, built by ispace's Luxembourg subsidiary. The rover, equipped with a high-definition camera and a shovel for NASA to collect lunar soil, was designed to operate for two weeks during the moon's daylight period. It also carried a toy-size Swedish-style red cottage, dubbed Moonhouse by artist Mikael Genberg, for placement on the lunar surface. The mission's $16 million payload included scientific instruments from Japanese firms and a Taiwanese university. The failure follows ispace's first lunar crash in 2023, caused by inaccurate altitude readings. 'Truly diverse scenarios were possible, including issues with the propulsion system, software or hardware, especially with sensors,' Chief Technology Officer Ryo Ujiie said at a press conference. Jeremy Fix, chief engineer for ispace's U.S. subsidiary, noted last month that the company, with a mission cost less than the first's $100 million, lacks 'infinite funds' and cannot afford repeated failures. 'We're not facing any immediate financial deterioration or distress because of the event,' CFO Jumpei Nozaki said, citing investor support. However, space shares faced heavy sell orders and were poised for a 29% drop. As of Thursday, their market capitalization was over 110 billion yen ($766 million). The crash marks another setback in the commercial lunar race, which began in 2019. U.S. firms Firefly Aerospace and Intuitive Machines achieved successful landings in March, though Intuitive's lander toppled in a crater. Japan's space agency, JAXA, landed its SLIM probe last year, joining Russia, the U.S., China, and India as the only nations with successful robotic lunar landings. 'Expectations for ispace have not faded,' Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba posted on X, reported Reuters. Ispace remains committed to NASA's Artemis program, with plans for a third mission in 2027. 'NASA increasingly needs private companies to improve cost efficiency for key missions with limited budgets,' Hakamada said, referencing proposed U.S. budget cuts. Two U.S. companies, Blue Origin and Astrobotic Technology, aim for moon landings by year's end following Astrobotic's 2024 failure.
The Star
07-06-2025
- Business
- The Star
Ispace aborts Moon mission
Space setback: Hakamada (centre) waiting with members of his team for news of the expected landing on the Moon by the company's Resilience craft, in Tokyo. — AFP The country's hopes of achieving its first soft touchdown on the Moon by a private company were dashed when the mission was aborted after an assumed crash-landing, the startup said. Tokyo-based ispace had hoped to make history as only the third private firm – and the first outside the United States – to achieve a controlled arrival on the lunar surface. But 'based on the currently available data ... it is currently assumed that the lander likely performed a hard landing', the startup said yesterday. 'It is unlikely that communication with the lander will be restored' so 'it has been decided to conclude the mission', ispace said in a statement. The failure comes two years after a prior mission ended in a crash. The company's unmanned Resilience spacecraft began its daunting final descent and 'successfully fired its main engine as planned to begin deceleration', ispace said. Mission control confirmed that the lander's positioning was 'nearly vertical' – but contact was then lost, with the mood on a livestream from mission control turning sombre. Technical problems meant 'the lander was unable to decelerate sufficiently to reach the required speed for the planned lunar landing', ispace said. To date, only five nations have achieved soft lunar landings: the Soviet Union, the United States, China, India and most recently Japan. Now, private companies are joining the race, promising cheaper and more frequent access to space. On board the Resilience lander were several high-profile payloads. They included Tenacious, a Luxembourg-built micro rover; a water electrolyser to split molecules into hydrogen and oxygen; a food production experiment; and a deep-space radiation probe. The rover also carried 'Moonhouse' – a small model home designed by Swedish artist Mikael Genberg. 'I take the fact that the second attempt failed to land seriously,' chief executive officer Takeshi Hakamada told reporters. 'But the most important thing is to use this result' for future missions, he said, describing a 'strong will to move on, although we have to carefully analyse what happened'. Last year, Houston-based Intuitive Machines became the first private enterprise to reach the Moon. Though its uncrewed lander touched down at an awkward angle, it still managed to complete tests and transmit photos. Then in March this year, Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost – launched on the same SpaceX rocket as ispace's Resilience – aced its lunar landing attempt. The mood ahead of yesterday's attempt had been celebratory, with a watch party also held by ispace's US branch in Washington. After contact was lost, announcers on an ispace livestream signed off with the message: 'Never quit the lunar quest.' The mission had also aimed to collect two lunar soil samples and sell them to Nasa for US$5,000 (RM21,150). Though the samples would remain on the Moon, the symbolic transaction is meant to strengthen the US stance that commercial activity – though not sovereign claims – should be allowed on celestial bodies. — AFP
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Japanese Aerospace Firm Poised to Land Spacecraft on the Moon
Update: Sadly, the spacecraft crashed into the Moon on Friday, June 6. Our original story follows below. A Japanese aerospace firm called Ispace is set to put a spacecraft on the Moon this week. Resilience, the star of Ispace's HAKUTO-R Mission 2, has spent nearly six months circumnavigating Earth and the Moon in preparation for its final descent. If all goes well, the spacecraft will touch down on the lunar surface Thursday afternoon. Resilience was a travel companion to Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost lander, which successfully touched down on a volcanic feature called Mons Latreille on March 2. Together, the landers launched via a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on Jan. 15. But while Blue Ghost took just a month and a half to reach its target, Ispace wanted Resilience to stop and smell the roses along the way. The lander completed a lunar flyby before leveraging the Moon's gravity to initiate a slow, fuel-efficient path toward lunar orbit, which it entered on May 6. Now Ispace mission control is triple-checking that its lander is prepared for its final descent. On May 28, Resilience completed a lunar orbital control maneuver that perfected its trajectory, according to the company on Wednesday morning. The adjustment shortened Resilience's projected landing time by seven minutes, placing touchdown at 3:17 p.m. EST on Thursday, June 5. Ispace will live stream the landing globally; you can watch the English version here. Mare Frigoris is outlined in blue. Credit: NASA Resilience will land near the center of Mare Frigoris, which translates to "Sea of Cold." While the surface of the Moon can top 120 degrees Celsius (250 degrees Fahrenheit) during the day, this 1,500-kilometer lunar sea lies in the Moon's far north, which receives less solar radiation and stays relatively cool. Mare Frigoris's flat terrain and proximity to the north pole make it an ideal landing spot, especially because Ispace will need to maintain line-of-sight radio communication as Resilience deploys its many payloads. Among the payloads are a food production experiment from the Japanese biofuel firm Euglena Co., a deep space radiation probe from Taiwan's National Central University, and Ispace's own Tenacious micro rover, which will independently explore the landing site. Resilience will also place Moonhouse, a sculpture by Swedish artist Mikael Genberg, on the lunar surface.
