Japanese probe due to land on the moon accelerated unexpectedly and likely crashed, company says

[ad_1]

ispace would be the first private company to land on the Moon, but the spacecraft lost communication and was running out of fuel, which prevented the success of the mission. Simulation shows Japanese probe landing on the Moon Ispace said on Wednesday (26) that its attempt to make the first private landing on the Moon had failed after losing communication with the Hakuto-R Mission 1 (M1) landing probe. According to the company, the M1 unexpectedly accelerated and likely fell to the lunar surface. ispace said it was possible that the altitude measurement system may have miscalculated the distance to the surface, according to Reuters. “Apparently it went into a free fall towards the surface, as it was running out of fuel to power its thrusters,” company technology chief Ryo Ujiie told a news conference. It was the second setback for commercial space development in a week after SpaceX’s Starship rocket exploded minutes after flying off its launch pad. A private company has yet to succeed with a lunar landing. Only the United States, the former Soviet Union and China managed to send robots to the Moon, but with the help of governments. India tried years later, but without success. In 2019, the mission of an Israeli private company also ended in failure. ispace’s initial goal was to explore the lunar region for a few days and, in the future, work with sending cargo, including NASA, from 2025. Japan’s main government spokesman, Hirokazu Matsuno, said that, while it was sad that the mission was not successful, the country wants ispace to “keep trying”. Japan, which has set a goal of sending Japanese astronauts to the moon by the late 2020s, has had some recent setbacks. The country’s space agency had to destroy its new medium-sized H3 rocket upon reaching space after its second-stage engine failed to ignite. Another rocket, the solid-fuel Epsilon, also failed after launch in October. ispace informed that it believes in the Moon’s potential to receive a population of 1,000 people in 2040, in addition to 10,000 visitors a year. Japanese probe makes image of the surface of the moon

[ad_2]

Source link