Japanese firm declares lunar mission a failure after crash landing

A Japanese private lunar lander made by a Tokyo-based company, ispace, crashed during an attempt to land on the moon, resulting in the mission being declared a failure. The lander named Resilience was carrying a mini rover and lost contact with ground support just before its scheduled touchdown after an hour-long descent. This marks the company’s second unsuccessful attempt to soft land on the moon, following a crash landing during their first moonshot two years ago. The failed mission brings into question the company’s future plans, including a larger lander scheduled to launch in 2027 in collaboration with NASA. The firm’s financial resources are limited, and repeated failures could jeopardize their lunar exploration aspirations.