Japanese Spacecraft Carrying UAE Rover Likely To Have Crashed While Attempting Lunar Landing

A Japanese spacecraft crashed when trying to land on the Moon on Wednesday (26 April).

The Tokyo company ispace confirmed the lander's suspected Moon crash over six hours after losing communication, stating a "high probability" of impact.

“It has been determined that there is a high probability that the lander eventually made a hard landing on the moon’s surface,” the company stated.

ispace's attempt to land a spacecraft on the Moon after a four-and-a-half-month mission was unsuccessful, but they got very close. Only three countries have achieved the feat thus far — Russia, the US, and China.

If all had gone well, ispace would have been the first private business to pull off a lunar landing.

Preparations are underway for a second attempt.

"ispace will continue to make the most of the data and know-how acquired during the operation..., aiming to dramatically improve the technological maturity of Mission 2 in 2024 and Mission 3 in 2025," the company said in its mission update.

The Japanese lander carried a 22-pound lunar rover called Rashid for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and a toy-like robot from Japan to roll around in Moon dust for roughly 10 days.

The spacecraft Hakuto, which means white rabbit in Japanese, aimed for the Atlas crater located in the northeastern section of the Moon’s near side, measuring over 50 miles (87 km) wide and 1 mile (2 km) deep.

Established in 2010, ispace plans to generate income by offering one-way taxi service to the Moon for other businesses and organisations.

The company has already raised $300 million to cover the first three missions.

The UAE has a presence in space, with an astronaut aboard the International Space Station and a spacecraft in orbit around Mars, and is aiming to extend its reach to the Moon.