Current:Home > ContactContact is lost with a Japanese spacecraft attempting to land on the moon -ProsperityStream Academy
Contact is lost with a Japanese spacecraft attempting to land on the moon
View
Date:2025-04-18 21:54:59
A Japanese company lost contact with its spacecraft moments before touchdown on the moon Wednesday, saying the mission had apparently failed.
Communications ceased as the lander descended the final 33 feet (10 meters), traveling around 16 mph (25 kph). Flight controllers peered at their screens in Tokyo, expressionless, as minutes went by with no word from the lander, which is presumed to have crashed.
"We have to assume that we could not complete the landing on the lunar surface," said Takeshi Hakamada, founder and CEO of the company, ispace.
If it had landed, the company would have been the first private business to pull off a lunar landing.
Only three governments have successfully touched down on the moon: Russia, the United States and China. An Israeli nonprofit tried to land on the moon in 2019, but its spacecraft was destroyed on impact.
The 7-foot lander (2.3-meter) Japanese lander carried a mini lunar rover for the United Arab Emirates and a toylike robot from Japan designed to roll around in the moon dust. There were also items from private customers on board.
Named Hakuto, Japanese for white rabbit, the spacecraft had targeted Atlas crater in the northeastern section of the moon's near side, more than 50 miles (87 kilometers) across and just over 1 mile (2 kilometers) deep.
It took a long, roundabout route to the moon following its December liftoff, beaming back photos of Earth along the way. The lander entered lunar orbit on March 21.
For this test flight, the two main experiments were government-sponsored: the UAE's 22-pound (10-kilogram) rover Rashid, named after Dubai's royal family, and the Japanese Space Agency's orange-sized sphere designed to transform into a wheeled robot on the moon. With a science satellite already around Mars and an astronaut aboard the International Space Station, the UAE was seeking to extend its presence to the moon.
Founded in 2010, ispace hopes to start turning a profit as a one-way taxi service to the moon for other businesses and organizations. Hakamada said Wednesday that a second mission is already in the works for next year.
"We will keep going, never quit lunar quest," he said.
Two lunar landers built by private companies in the U.S. are awaiting liftoff later this year, with NASA participation.
Hakuto and the Israeli spacecraft named Beresheet were finalists in the Google Lunar X Prize competition requiring a successful landing on the moon by 2018. The $20 million grand prize went unclaimed.
veryGood! (6)
Related
- Nearly 400 USAID contract employees laid off in wake of Trump's 'stop work' order
- Beyoncé features Shaboozey twice on 'Cowboy Carter': Who is the hip-hop, country artist?
- Building a new Key Bridge could take years and cost at least $400 million, experts say
- Tracy Morgan Sets the Record Straight on Experience With Ozempic
- Senate begins final push to expand Social Security benefits for millions of people
- Suspect charged with murder, home invasion in deadly Illinois stabbing and beating rampage
- The Most-Shopped Celeb Recommendations This Month: Jennifer Lopez, Kyle Richards, Chrishell Stause & More
- Tish Cyrus Shares She's Dealing With Issues in Dominic Purcell Marriage
- John Galliano out at Maison Margiela, capping year of fashion designer musical chairs
- Georgia joins states seeking parental permission before children join social media
Ranking
- Intel's stock did something it hasn't done since 2022
- Activists watch for potential impact on environment as Key Bridge cleanup unfolds
- Men's March Madness highlights: Thursday's Sweet 16 scores, best NCAA Tournament moments
- ASTRO COIN: Bitcoin Spot ETF Approved, A Boon for Cryptocurrency
- Highlights from Trump’s interview with Time magazine
- ASTRO COIN:The bull market history of bitcoin under the mechanism of halving
- 'Is it Cake?' Season 3: Cast, host, judges, release date, where to watch new episodes
- 'Really old friends' Kathie Lee Gifford, Roma Downey reunite on new show 'The Baxters'
Recommendation
Most popular books of the week: See what topped USA TODAY's bestselling books list
After 34 years, girlfriend charged in man's D.C. murder
Tyler Stanaland Responds to Claim He Was “Unfaithful” in Brittany Snow Marriage
Conjoined Twins Brittany and Abby Hensel Respond to Loud Comments After Josh Bowling Wedding Reveal
Toyota to invest $922 million to build a new paint facility at its Kentucky complex
'Is it Cake?' Season 3: Cast, host, judges, release date, where to watch new episodes
ASTRO COIN: The blockchain technology is driving the thriving development of the cryptocurrency market.
Many Americans say immigrants contribute to economy but there’s worry over risks, AP-NORC poll finds