Radio Silence on the Moon: ispace’s Resilience Lander Misses Mark

Image Source: Space news

Tokyo-based private space company ispace has officially declared its second lunar landing attempt a failure after losing communication with its Resilience lander just moments before its scheduled touchdown on the Moon’s surface.

Key Highlights:

The Resilience lander began its descent toward the Moon’s Mare Frigoris region, aiming for a historic commercial landing at 4:17 a.m. local time on June 6, 2025.
Communication was lost less than two minutes before the anticipated landing, with flight data indicating a higher-than-expected descent velocity and possible malfunction in the laser rangefinder responsible for altitude measurement.
Despite efforts to re-establish contact, mission control received no response, leading ispace to confirm a probable crash landing and conclude the mission several hours later.

This marks ispace’s second consecutive lunar landing failure, following a similar crash in 2023 due to a software error that miscalculated altitude.

The Resilience lander was carrying a four-wheeled rover, scientific payloads from Japanese firms and a Taiwanese university, and a small art installation, with a total payload value of $16 million.

CEO Takeshi Hakamada expressed deep regret, stating, “We must take these outcomes very seriously,” and reaffirmed the company’s commitment to future lunar missions, including a planned attempt with the Apex 1.0 lander.

Initial analysis suggests the lander descended too quickly after its altitude-measuring system failed, but a comprehensive review of telemetry data is underway to determine the exact cause.

ispace remains determined to join the ranks of successful private lunar explorers, despite setbacks, as global competition for commercial moon landings intensifies.

Source: Reuters, NBC News, CNN, Al Jazeera, Sky News, Kyodo News, CBS News, Hindustan Times