Lunar Fiasco: ispace Experiences Crash during Second Moon Landing Attempt
In a setback for the Japanese space company, ispace's second attempt at lunar landing ended in failure on Thursday afternoon. The "Resilience" spacecraft, carrying the TENACIOUS microrover, likely crashed into the Moon after operators were unable to establish communications with the lander.
The exact cause of the problem is still unclear, but it is known that a software issue caused the spacecraft to misread its altitude, leading to a failure to slow down enough for landing. This unfortunate event follows ispace's first lunar landing attempt in 2023, which also ended in failure due to a similar software problem.
Despite this setback, ispace's CEO, Takeshi Hakamada, stated at a press conference that they take the failure seriously and are committed to learning from the experience. Hakamada also mentioned their intention to use the results from this mission for future missions, specifically Mission 3 and Mission 4.
The TENACIOUS microrover, built at ispace's office in Luxembourg, was one of the key components of the mission. The mission accomplished eight of ten objectives, including launching and entering lunar orbit, but the two objectives left undone were soft landing the spacecraft and deploying the TENACIOUS microrover.
The pace of private lunar missions is picking up, with three companies attempting lunar landings this year. Firefly successfully landed on the Moon in March, while Intuitive Machines soft landed on the Moon, but ended up on its side.
In a separate development, Redwire's Mike Gold, who spoke at ispace's DC event, emphasized the need for the US government to address who should oversee private lunar missions due to the increasing pace of these flights. Gold urged the US government to ensure that policy doesn't fall behind the technology.
Looking ahead, ispace's parent company plans another lunar mission in 2027. The unnamed American subsidiary of the Japanese parent company is preparing for a Draper-led CLPS mission for NASA to the far side of the Moon in 2027.
This failure serves as a reminder of the challenges and risks involved in space exploration, but it also highlights the determination and resilience of companies like ispace in pushing the boundaries of human knowledge.
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