Japan-based private space venture ispace has failed in its second mission to soft-land on the Moon. The lander named “Resilience” crashed into the surface after altitude data was cut off while planning to make a controlled landing on the Moon’s surface on the morning of June 6. The mission was the company’s second attempt after its first failed attempt in 2023.

Japan failed to achieve success in its private lunar mission

The landing was planned for the Mare Frigoris region located in the north of the Moon. However, telemetry data from the vehicle was cut off approximately one and a half minutes before landing. This sudden break in data raised the possibility of equipment failure, and it soon became clear that the landing was not completed successfully.

Initial technical evaluations indicate that the problem was caused by the laser distance measuring device in the vehicle’s landing system. Since the device could not determine the distance to the surface in a timely and accurate manner, the vehicle could not slow down sufficiently during landing.

Resilience was a lander approximately 2.3 meters high and weighing 1,000 kilograms. It carried five different scientific and technological payloads. The mini rover named “Tenacious”, developed by the European Space Agency, aimed to collect samples of lunar soil and place a miniature artwork by Swedish artist Mikael Gensberg on the surface. However, these goals were not realized when the vehicle crashed.

In addition, a deep space radiation measuring device sent from Taiwan, Japan’s hydrogen-oxygen production technology module and a Malaysia-based company’s algae production experiment were among the other payloads carried by Resilience. These experimental payloads were preliminary preparations for future manned lunar missions.

“We really wanted to complete Mission 2 successfully. But unfortunately, the landing could not be made,” said ispace CEO Takeshi Hakamada at the press conference held after the failed landing. The company states that it will continue its space missions despite all the difficulties.