Japan's ispace Fails Second Moon Landing Attempt

Japan’s ambitious private lunar mission led by ispace came to a halt on Friday after its unmanned Resilience spacecraft likely crash-landed during a descent attempt, marking the startup’s second failed effort to achieve a soft lunar landing.

The Tokyo-based company had aimed to become the first private entity outside the United States to complete a controlled moon landing. Resilience initiated its final descent and ignited its main engine as scheduled to begin deceleration. According to mission control, the spacecraft was in a nearly vertical position before communication was abruptly lost.

Preliminary analysis suggests that Resilience may have failed to reduce speed adequately, resulting in a hard landing. ispace later confirmed it was concluding the mission, stating that chances of reestablishing communication were minimal.

Despite the setback, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba expressed continued support, affirming that public confidence in ispace remains strong. 

The mission had drawn significant attention, with over 500 attendees, including government officials and sponsors, gathering to witness what was hoped to be a milestone in Japan’s space exploration.