Current:Home > MyContact is lost with a Japanese spacecraft attempting to land on the moon -Profound Wealth Insights
Contact is lost with a Japanese spacecraft attempting to land on the moon
View
Date:2025-04-15 13:46:03
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 33 feet (10 meters), traveling around 16 mph (25 kph). 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.
Only three governments have successfully touched down on the moon: Russia, the United States and China. An Israeli nonprofit tried to land on the moon in 2019, but its spacecraft was destroyed on impact.
The 7-foot lander (2.3-meter) 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.
Named Hakuto, Japanese for white rabbit, the spacecraft had targeted Atlas crater in the northeastern section of the moon's near side, more than 50 miles (87 kilometers) across and just over 1 mile (2 kilometers) deep.
It took a long, roundabout route to the moon following its December liftoff, beaming back photos of Earth along the way. The lander entered lunar orbit on March 21.
For this test flight, the two main experiments were government-sponsored: the UAE's 22-pound (10-kilogram) rover Rashid, named after Dubai's royal family, and the Japanese Space Agency's orange-sized sphere designed to transform into a wheeled robot on the moon. With a science satellite already around Mars and an astronaut aboard the International Space Station, the UAE was seeking to extend its presence to the moon.
Founded in 2010, ispace hopes to start turning a profit as a one-way taxi service to the moon for other businesses and organizations. Hakamada said Wednesday that a second mission is already in the works for next year.
"We will keep going, never quit lunar quest," he said.
Two lunar landers built by private companies in the U.S. are awaiting liftoff later this year, with NASA participation.
Hakuto and the Israeli spacecraft named Beresheet were finalists in the Google Lunar X Prize competition requiring a successful landing on the moon by 2018. The $20 million grand prize went unclaimed.
veryGood! (5)
Related
- 'Squid Game' without subtitles? Duolingo, Netflix encourage fans to learn Korean
- Jury Duty's Ronald Gladden Reveals What It Was Really Like Working With James Marsden
- Vanderpump Rules' Ariana Madix Shares What She's Learned Through Tom Sandoval Cheating Scandal
- Why John Stamos Once Had Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen Temporarily Fired From Full House
- SFO's new sensory room helps neurodivergent travelers fight flying jitters
- Jerry Springer Laid to Rest Near Chicago 3 Days After His Death
- 17 Surprising Met Gala Secrets Revealed: $30,000 Tickets, an Age Limit and Absolutely No Selfies
- Useful Products To Eliminate Annoying Kitchen Problems
- Arkansas State Police probe death of woman found after officer
- Save 50% On These Top-Selling Tarte Glossy Lip Balms Before They Sell Out
Ranking
- Louvre will undergo expansion and restoration project, Macron says
- Selling Sunset’s Mary Fitzgerald Bonnet Teases How Cast Was Going Crazy During Season 6
- Sydney Sweeney Reveals Her Nickname for Co-Star Glen Powell
- Hailey Bieber Shares Health Update One Year After Heart Procedure
- Chuck Scarborough signs off: Hoda Kotb, Al Roker tribute legendary New York anchor
- Haley Lu Richardson Checks In on Her White Lotus Character's Possible Fate
- A haze is blanketing major swaths of the East Coast because of the Canadian wildfires
- A 15-year-old law would end fossil fuels in federal buildings, but it's on hold
Recommendation
Travis Hunter, the 2
Save $493 on an HP Laptop and Get 1 Year of Microsoft Office and Wireless Mouse for Free
Fire Up Your Fashion Memories With the Most Unforgettable Met Gala Moments of All Time
Rise and Shine Because Kylie Jenner Just Shut Down the 2023 Met Gala Red Carpet
'Vanderpump Rules' star DJ James Kennedy arrested on domestic violence charges
Shocked and Saddened Maury Povich Pays Tribute to Jerry Springer After His Death
Bachelor’s Sean Lowe Recalls Keeping Son Sam Safe During Attempted Armed Robbery of His Truck
What Dreams Are Made Of: 21 Secrets About Lizzie McGuire Revealed