Private lunar module Hakuto-R missing (video)

In December 2022, the Japanese company ispacesent her own spacecraft to the moon with a lunar rover on board. He almost got to his destination - but suddenly lost contact with the Earth, in connection with which the mission was declared unsuccessful.

The lander Hakuto-R was launched from the CapeCanaveral, Florida using a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Until the last moment, the flight was uneventful, but a few minutes before the estimated time of landing on the lunar surface, company engineers discovered that communication with the device was lost.

ispace CEO Takeshi HakamadaDuring the live broadcast of the mission, he said that at present it was not possible to confirm the fact of the landing of the module, and therefore it should be considered that it did not take place. There is no confirmation that the device crashed yet - the company is conducting an appropriate investigation. According to the official statement, there is a high probability that the module made a hard landing on the lunar surface.

It was assumed that the Hakuto-R module could becomethe first ever private spacecraft to successfully land on the moon. Together with him, a miniature lunar rover created by engineers from the United Arab Emirates was sent to the Earth's satellite. The next mission of the private space company is scheduled for 2024.