Japan’s ispace suffers another setback with lunar lander crash

Japanese space company ispace has announced that its second unmanned lunar lander, Resilience, likely crashed during its landing attempt on the moon, marking a significant failure two years after its first mission also ended unsuccessfully. Based in Tokyo, ispace aimed to compete with U.S. commercial space firms such as Intuitive Machines and Firefly Aerospace in the race for successful moon landings, which also involves state missions from China and India.

Despite this latest failure causing a pause in Japan’s commercial lunar efforts, the nation remains committed to the Artemis program led by the United States. Many Japanese companies continue to explore lunar ventures as a promising business opportunity.

ispace reported that Resilience encountered difficulties in measuring its altitude and was unable to slow down enough for a soft touchdown. Communication with the lander was lost after what is believed to be a hard landing. The company’s Chief Technology Officer, Ryo Ujiie, suggested possible issues with propulsion, software, or sensors.

At a public event in Tokyo, hundreds of ispace employees and partners fell silent as data was lost just before the expected landing. The company’s stock plummeted nearly 30%, though the CFO assured there were no immediate financial troubles thanks to ongoing investor support.

This mission followed a previous crash in 2023 caused by altitude measurement errors. Resilience carried a four-wheeled rover and scientific payloads from Japanese and Taiwanese institutions, targeting Mare Frigoris near the lunar north pole. Had the landing succeeded, it would have conducted two weeks of exploration, including collecting lunar soil for NASA.

Resilience shared a January launch on a SpaceX rocket with Firefly’s successful Blue Ghost lander. Intuitive Machines also landed its second rover, though it ended up tilted like its first.

Japan previously became the fifth country to achieve a soft moon landing through the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s SLIM mission. The government continues to support private lunar projects and signed an agreement with NASA to include Japanese astronauts in Artemis missions.

Despite this setback, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba expressed continued confidence in ispace’s potential. While ispace is Japan’s leading commercial lunar transport firm, some companies may consider foreign providers. ispace plans a larger lander for a 2027 mission under NASA’s Artemis program and aims to conduct six more missions through 2029.

CEO Takeshi Hakamada emphasized the need for private companies to help NASA manage costs amid budget cuts, highlighting ispace’s commitment to meet these challenges.