Japan’s private space firm ispace has suffered a second consecutive lunar landing failure after its Resilience spacecraft lost contact and likely crashed during descent.
At a Glance
- ispace’s Resilience lander lost communication moments before scheduled lunar touchdown on June 5, 2025
- Preliminary analysis suggests a malfunction in the laser altimeter caused a “hard landing”
- The mission carried a $16 million payload, including the European-built rover Tenacious and an art installation
- This marks ispace’s second failed lunar landing attempt, following a 2023 crash
- Despite setbacks, ispace plans a third mission in 2027 with a larger lander under a NASA contract
Mission Overview
The Resilience lander, part of ispace’s Hakuto-R Mission 2, launched on January 15, 2025, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. After achieving lunar orbit in May, the spacecraft initiated its descent toward the Mare Frigoris region on June 5. However, communication was lost approximately two minutes before the scheduled landing, and mission control received no confirmation of touchdown.
Initial analysis suggests the lander’s laser altimeter delayed its readings of the lunar surface, preventing adequate deceleration—a flaw that likely led to a crash landing. Onboard the mission was the Tenacious rover, built by Europe’s space consortium, and a symbolic miniature red house art installation created by Swedish artist Mikael Genberg.
Watch a report: Japanese lunar lander crashes during attempted touchdown.
This marks ispace’s second crash in as many years. In 2023, its first lander, Mission 1, similarly failed to slow down in time and slammed into the moon’s surface. Both incidents have raised questions about the feasibility of private lunar ventures outside government oversight.
Future Endeavors
Despite its setbacks, ispace remains committed to lunar development. The company has announced plans for a third mission in 2027, featuring a larger lander constructed by its U.S. subsidiary. The mission is part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, supporting payload delivery for the Artemis lunar campaign.
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba expressed continued support for the company, reaffirming Japan’s strategic investment in space technology and its broader collaboration with NASA and other international partners. Although Resilience failed to land safely, Japan’s national space agency previously achieved a soft lunar touchdown, highlighting its capability in high-stakes space exploration.
While this mission underscores the formidable technical challenges of moon landings, it also reflects the ambition driving private-sector innovation—one that may yet find footing in the next attempt.
