Japan's Resilience moon lander has crashed into the lunar surface

image via New Scientist

June 6, 2025, 11:03 AM

• •The Resilience lander, carrying experiments and a rover, launched on a SpaceX rocket in January and entered lunar orbit in May.
• •The lander's mission included experiments like splitting water and producing food, aiming to be the first non-US company to land on lunar soil.
• •The lander had successfully descended to about 20 km above the moon’s surface, but ispace’s mission control lost contact shortly afterwards, when the probe fired its main engine for the final descent, and received no further communication.

ispace's Resilience lander crashed on the moon due to a malfunctioning laser sensor, ending its attempt to become the third successful private lunar landing. The lander, which launched in January and entered lunar orbit in May, was carrying various experiments and a rover. The mission aimed to be the first non-US company to land on lunar soil and explore the Mare Frigoris region. The crash occurred during the final descent phase, leading to the loss of the lander and its scientific payload.

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