Japan’s ispace loses contact with moon lander in likely crash

The spacecraft was moments away from its planned touchdown – if successful, the mission would have been the world’s first commercial lunar landing

Named Hakuto, Japanese for white rabbit, the spacecraft had targeted Atlas crater in the northeastern section of the moon’s near side

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A model of the Hakuto Japanese lunar lander is displayed at the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation in Tokyo on Wednesday. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 1:51am, 26 Apr 2023Updated: 3:11am, 26 Apr 2023

A Japanese company lost contact with its spacecraft moments before touchdown on the moon Wednesday, saying the mission had apparently failed.

Communications ceased as the lander descended the final 10 metres (33 feet), travelling around 25km/h (16mph). Flight controllers peered at their screens in Tokyo, expressionless, as minutes went by with no word from the lander, which is presumed to have crashed.

“We have to assume that we could not complete the landing on the lunar surface,” said Takeshi Hakamada, founder and CEO of the company, ispace.

If it had landed, the company would have been the first private business to pull off a lunar landing.

Flight controllers in Tokyo wait for a signal from the company’s Hakuto spacecraft after a landing attempt on the surface of the moon on Wednesday. Photo: ispace via AP

Only three governments have successfully landed on the moon: Russia, the United States and China. An Israeli non-profit group tried to land on the moon in 2019, but its spacecraft was destroyed on impact.

The 2.3-metre (7-foot) Japanese lander carried a mini lunar rover for the United Arab Emirates and a toylike robot from Japan designed to roll around in the moon dust. There were also items from private customers on board.

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