Japanese company ispace loses contact with moon lander after suspected crash

Japanese company ispace said its mission to put a private spacecraft on the moon has apparently failed after contact with the lander was lost moments before it was to touch down on the lunar surface on April 25, 2023. Flight controllers in Tokyo were seen peering at their screens, expressionless as minutes went by with no signals from the lander which is now presumed to have crashed. Ispace had hoped to become the first private business to pull off a moon landing.