A Japanese space company has blamed a malfunctioning laser range finder for the crash of its moon lander earlier this month, marking the second failed lunar landing attempt for ispace in just over two years.
The company’s uncrewed lander, named Resilience, was attempting to touch down near the moon’s Mare Frigoris, or 'Sea of Cold', when contact was lost during its final descent. Officials revealed Tuesday that the laser navigation tool responsible for gauging altitude was delayed in activating, causing the spacecraft to misjudge its altitude and crash at a speed of 42 metres per second (138 feet per second).
Images of the wreckage, captured by NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter last week, confirmed the crash site.
“Unfortunately, the laser range finder failed to operate properly at the critical moment,” said ispace CEO Takeshi Hakamada.
“We acknowledge the issue and are moving forward with necessary improvements.”
In 2023, ispace lost its first lander to a software error that also occurred during the final landing phase. Despite the back-to-back losses, Hakamada said the company remains committed to its lunar programme and confirmed plans for a third mission in 2027 and a fourth mission in development. These future landings are being planned in cooperation with NASA and will undergo enhanced testing protocols.
The setbacks come as part of a broader international effort to enable commercial lunar missions. Of the seven attempts by private companies to land on the moon in recent years, only one—Texas-based Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lander in March 2025—has succeeded. Blue Ghost had launched aboard the same SpaceX rocket as Resilience back in January.
Outside of the private sector, only five countries have successfully landed spacecraft on the moon: the U.S., Soviet Union, China, India and Japan. However, the U.S. remains the only nation to have landed astronauts there, a feat last achieved more than 50 years ago during NASA’s Apollo programme.
Ispace says it will now invest an additional 1.5 billion yen (approximately $10 million) to upgrade its lander systems. The company also confirmed that external experts will join its failure review board, and that it will deepen collaboration with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).
“We haven’t stepped down in the face of setbacks,” said Hakamada. “We are firmly committed to taking the next step toward the future of lunar exploration.”
The UK has become the latest country to annouce a social media ban for children under 16. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer made the announcement on...
An armed unmanned aerial vehicle crashed on a Black Sea beach in northern Türkiye on Sunday, prompting a security operation and the controlled detona...
Spain has received around 900,000 applications from undocumented migrants seeking legal status under a government regularisation programme. The influx...
A Ukrainian man has been found guilty of carrying out a series of arson attacks on properties linked to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer after bein...
Fighting in southern Lebanon eased on Monday after a U.S.-Iran agreement aimed at ending months of regional conflict was announced, although uncertain...
An armed unmanned aerial vehicle crashed on a Black Sea beach in northern Türkiye on Sunday, prompting a security operation and the controlled detonation of its munitions.
Spain has received around 900,000 applications from undocumented migrants seeking legal status under a government regularisation programme. The influx has far exceeded initial expectations, the Migration Ministry said on Monday.
A Ukrainian man has been found guilty of carrying out a series of arson attacks on properties linked to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer after being recruited by a mystery figure known only as "EL Money".
Fighting in southern Lebanon eased on Monday after a U.S.-Iran agreement aimed at ending months of regional conflict was announced, although uncertainty remained over how the deal would be implemented on the ground.
Details of a reported draft memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran offer the clearest picture yet of how both sides plan to end months of conflict and move towards a longer-term settlement.
The U.S. and Iran say they have reached a deal to end their conflict, with an immediate ceasefire and reopening of the Strait of Hormuz after the lifting of the U.S. naval blockade. Talks will continue over the next 60 days to finalise the agreement
U.S. President Donald Trump has said a peace agreement with Iran is scheduled to be signed on Sunday in a post on social media, despite Tehran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei saying no deal would be approved this weekend.
U.S. and Iranian officials said they had agreed on a framework to end their war, halt the U.S. blockade of Iran and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a preliminary pact that sent oil prices falling but leaves the fate of Iran's nuclear program to further negotiations.
Switzerland on Sunday rejected a referendum proposal to cap its population at 10 million, a projection showed, as voters prioritised economic stability and the country's ties with the European Union over immigration concerns.
The Canadian government has introduced a digital safety bill that would ban children under the age of 16 from using social media, unless platforms meet specific safety standards.
NASA has named three American astronauts and one Italian astronaut to fly on its Artemis III mission, a major orbital test planned for late next year that will evaluate lunar landing vehicles developed by SpaceX and Blue Origin.
China will send an astronaut to its space station on Sunday for a one-year mission, the longest duration for the country so far. The mission will help study long-duration human physiology in space as China works toward a crewed Moon landing by 2030.
Anxiety over artificial intelligence is hardening among young workers as executives promote faster adoption and companies point to automation in fresh job cuts.
Hackers are increasingly using artificial intelligence to detect software vulnerabilities, reducing the time organisations have to respond to cyber threats, Verizon said in its annual data breach report.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment