Altitude error caused failed April moon landing, says Japan’s ispace
The start-up attributes the unsuccessful landing of its Hakuto-R Mission 1 on a fuel shortage due to miscalculated altitude, promising enhancements for coming lunar events
26 May 2023 - 11:56
byKantaro Komiya and Rocky Swift
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Tokyo — Japanese start-up ispace’s failed Hakuto-R moon-landing mission last month was caused by an altitude miscalculation that meant the spacecraft ran out of fuel, the company said on Friday.
Tokyo-based ispace lost connection with the Hakuto-R Mission 1 lander after the spacecraft attempted what would have been the world’s first commercial soft-landing on the moon’s surface.
The crash was the latest setback in Japan’s space programme. The national space agency in March had to destroy its new medium-lift H3 rocket and its solid-fuel Epsilon rocket failed after launch in October.
ispace said improvements would be made for its second and third missions.
“Through these two missions, it is very important for us to increase our knowledge as much as possible to achieve stable commercialisation in the future,” ispace CEO Takeshi Hakamada told reporters at the Japan National Press Club.
Whereas national space agencies dominated space exploration in decades past, numerous private players are competing in a new space race between the US and its allies vs an increasingly ambitious China.
Nasa has relied on Elon Musk’s SpaceX to carry many of its payloads into orbit, and last week the agency awarded a lunar lander contract to a team led by Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin.
A second ispace mission is scheduled in 2024, with another M1 lander due to carry the company’s own rover. From 2025, the company is set to work with US space software developer Draper to bring Nasa payloads to the moon, aiming to build a permanently staffed lunar colony by 2040.
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
Altitude error caused failed April moon landing, says Japan’s ispace
The start-up attributes the unsuccessful landing of its Hakuto-R Mission 1 on a fuel shortage due to miscalculated altitude, promising enhancements for coming lunar events
Tokyo — Japanese start-up ispace’s failed Hakuto-R moon-landing mission last month was caused by an altitude miscalculation that meant the spacecraft ran out of fuel, the company said on Friday.
Tokyo-based ispace lost connection with the Hakuto-R Mission 1 lander after the spacecraft attempted what would have been the world’s first commercial soft-landing on the moon’s surface.
The crash was the latest setback in Japan’s space programme. The national space agency in March had to destroy its new medium-lift H3 rocket and its solid-fuel Epsilon rocket failed after launch in October.
ispace said improvements would be made for its second and third missions.
“Through these two missions, it is very important for us to increase our knowledge as much as possible to achieve stable commercialisation in the future,” ispace CEO Takeshi Hakamada told reporters at the Japan National Press Club.
Whereas national space agencies dominated space exploration in decades past, numerous private players are competing in a new space race between the US and its allies vs an increasingly ambitious China.
Nasa has relied on Elon Musk’s SpaceX to carry many of its payloads into orbit, and last week the agency awarded a lunar lander contract to a team led by Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin.
A second ispace mission is scheduled in 2024, with another M1 lander due to carry the company’s own rover. From 2025, the company is set to work with US space software developer Draper to bring Nasa payloads to the moon, aiming to build a permanently staffed lunar colony by 2040.
Reuters
Japan’s ispace launches world’s first commercial moon lander
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