The Japanese of Ispace ticks the second failure after the Resilience module collapsed on the moon surface
Resilience probe from Ispace (Kazuhiro Nogi / AFP / Profimedia source)
The Japanese startup of Ispace hoped to become the first company outside the US to succeed, but failed, after the module has collapsed on the selenary surface, due to technical problems, writes Reuters. An equally “brutal” end had another module from Ispace two years ago.
The Resilience module, the second of Ispace, had problems in measuring the distance from the ground and failed to slow down their descent, say those from Ispace. It was no longer able to restore communication with the probe and the mission was completed.
“We estimate that it is very likely that our probe would have made a hard landing on the surface of the month. After loss of communication, we tried to restart the landing module, but we could not restore the connection. Therefore, we decided to conclude the mission,” say the ones from Ispace, quoted by AFP.
“We consider several scenarios, including problems in the propulsion system, software or hardware, but especially in sensors,” said Ryo Ujiie, Technological Director of Ispace.
It is the second failure for the Japanese. Ispace has tried another aselenization in the spring of 2023, but technical problems appeared and the probe was dusted shortly before aselenization, due to erroneous calculations related to altitude.
The Resilience probe had five tools total $ 16 million (from Japanese companies, but also from a Taiwanese university), including a four -wheeled small rover, built in Luxembourg.
If the aselenization had been a success, the 2.3 meter module and the rover would have started an exploration of 14 days, which included the collection of monthly soil, based on a NASA contract.
The Japanese government has signed an agreement with NASA for the participation of Japanese astronauts in the Artemis program and supports private projects for future developments on the Moon, relying on the transport capabilities of Ispace. “The expectations for Ispace have not disappeared,” wrote Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on the X platform.
