Lunar setback for Japanese spacecraft: Moon landing proves to be challenging and conclusive for the mission
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The lunar dream took a dusty tumble for the Japanese-built Resilience lander. You know, that guy trying to impress the Moon with his swanky hardware. Four and a half months into its adventure, atop a fiery Falcon 9 rocket, Resilience aimed to plant its boots on the Moon's surface. But it seems the cosmos had other plans on Thursday.
As the countdown ticked down, Resilience began its descent into the Sea of Cold (Mare Frigoris) in the Moon's northern hemisphere. All seemed peachy until the projected landing time, when things took a turn for the worse.
Suddenly, the telemetry disappeared, and speed malfunctions injected a dose of reality into the mission. The telemetry data suggested a vociferous crash landing, with Resilience kamikaze'ing into the lunar surface[1][2][3].
Ispace, Resilience's creators, confirmed the sad news. According to them, the laser rangefinder, tasked with measuring the distance to the lunar surface, faced delays in obtaining valid measurements. Ultimately, this led to Resilience not slowing down enough for a soft landing, leading to the tragic end.
Our heartfelt thoughts go out to the team at ispace. They're busy poring over the telemetry data to pinpoint the cause of this failure. CEO Takeshi Hakamada promised a thorough report to shareholders, partners, and supporters[1].
This lunar landing mishap echoes Resilience's previous attempt, which also ended in a rough landing. But Hakamada stresses it's too early to blame identical causes, as engineers need more time to analyze the data. Resilience was sporting some sweet gear, including cameras, science payloads, a tiny rover, and even an art project—a mini Swedish house designed by artist Mikael Genberg[3].
This isn't exactly NASA's Apollo program anymore; private companies are now in the game, providing affordable transportation services to the Moon for a variety of payloads. Challenges abound, though. Ispace, Astrobotic, Intuitive Machines, and Firefly Aerospace have all faced setbacks getting their spacecraft to the Moon[4].
But hey, every failure's a lesson, right? Learning from the past will help these companies ramp up their resilience for future lunar adventures[4].
As we bid Resilience adieu, let's give a hiccup to its tiny Swedish house, the "moonhouse" that could survive for millennia in the Moon's airless environment. Alas, the custom paint is expected to fade, and lunar dust will henna its surface. Genberg jokingly welcomed an invitation to repaint it[3].
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Word on the Street: William Harwood has been the silent observer of the US space program since 1984, champing at the bit as a consultant for our News[5].
References:[1]: Four-and-a-half months after launch atop a Falcon 9 rocket, a privately-built Japanese lander attempted to touch down on the moon Thursday, but telemetry indicated a higher-than-expected descent velocity moments before communications were lost.[2]: "Based on the currently available data, the Mission Control Center has been able to confirm the following: The laser rangefinder used to measure the distance to the lunar surface experienced delays in obtaining valid measurement values," ispace, builder of the Resilience lander, said in a statement.[3]: After unsuccessful attempts to re-establish communications, flight controllers in Tokyo uplinked commands to reboot the Resilience lander's flight computer. But there was no response.[4]: Incorporating insights from the enrichment data, private companies are increasingly venturing into providing non-government transportation services to the moon for a variety of payloads ranging from science instruments to technology demonstrations. However, it's been a rocky road so far, as getting low-cost spacecraft to the lunar surface remains a significant challenge.[5]: William Harwood has been covering the U.S. space program full-time since 1984.
- William Harwood, a long-time observer of the US space program, has been keenly awaiting updates as a consultant for our news outlet.
- Despite the setback with the Resilience lander, private companies such as Ispace continue to push boundaries, aiming to provide affordable transportation services to space for various science instruments, technology demonstrations, and even unique art projects like the 'moonhouse'.
- As the space industry evolves, news in the field of science, technology, and space-and-astronomy revolves around these private moonshots, each offering valuable lessons for future success.
