Japanese firm ispace examines why its lander crashed on moon
https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/politics-government/article274759791.htmlTokyo-based ispace confirmed Wednesday that its HAKUTO-R spacecraft, which was scheduled to make a historic lunar landing on Tuesday, likely crashed into the Moon's surface. That failed landing came roughly three months after the 7-foot-tall lander launched atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The lander then entered into orbit around the moon on March 21 and began to prepare for a landing on the lunar surface. During its descent, ground controllers lost communications with the lander. The team determined it was in a vertical position as it approached the lunar surface, however, no data was ever received that indicated a successful touchdown.
The mission had 10 major objectives, and company representatives said eight of the 10 were completed before the spacecraft was due to land on the moon.
"We are very proud of the fact that we have achieved many things during this Mission 1," Hakamada said. "We will keep going - never quit the lunar quest." The company, which employs more than 200 people around the world, has two more lunar landings on the books, one set for 2024 and one for 2025.
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