Space company ispace announced the conclusion of its Mission 2 “SMBC x HAKUTO-R Venture Moon” after its RESILIENCE lunar lander failed to establish contact following an attempted touchdown on the Moon.
According to a statement released by the company, the lander initiated its descent on June 6 at 3:13 a.m. JST, descending from approximately 100 kilometers to 20 kilometers and firing its main engine for deceleration. The lander’s orientation was confirmed to be nearly vertical prior to telemetry loss. No confirmation of a successful landing was received, and communication was not re-established.
Initial analysis indicates that a delay in laser rangefinder data affected the lander’s ability to measure its distance from the lunar surface accurately. This appears to have led to insufficient deceleration and a presumed hard landing. A reboot command was sent but did not restore communications.
As of 8:00 a.m. JST on June 6, mission control determined that achieving the mission’s final milestone, termed “Success 9,” was no longer feasible. The mission has since been officially concluded.
Takeshi Hakamada, Founder and CEO of ispace, stated that the company would focus on analyzing available telemetry to determine the cause of the incident and would issue a report to stakeholders, including shareholders, customers, government agencies, and mission partners.
The mission launched on January 15, 2025, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Base. It was intended to land on the Mare Frigoris region of the Moon and conduct a range of activities, including the deployment of the TENACIOUS rover, developed by ispace EUROPE S.A. with support from the Luxembourg Space Agency through ESA’s LuxIMPULSE programme.
The European Space Agency (ESA) supported the mission through its global Estrack ground station network, providing communication links throughout the spacecraft’s transit and during its final descent phase.
The company’s first lunar mission in 2023 also ended unsuccessfully after a landing failure. ispace has stated its commitment to investigating the current incident in order to inform future missions in its lunar program.
