Why did iSpace’s Hakuto-R Mission 1 moon lander fail?
Summary
The Hakuto-R Mission 1 was launched back on 11th December 2022 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, successfully entering lunar orbit around three months later on 21st March 2023. Aboard the lander was the Emirates Lunar Mission rover, made in partnership with the Mohammed bin Rashard Space Centre (MBRSC), Tomy and JAXA’s SORA-Q transformable lunar robot, as well as novelty payload items such as a music disc by Japanese rock band Sakanaction. It was determined that the mission’s landing would take place in the Atlas crater in the Mare Frigoris region of the moon. Following the communications loss, a spokesperson for iSpace said: “Engineers monitored the estimated remaining propellant reached at the lower threshold and shortly afterwards the descent speed rapidly increased. Despite the failure of the landing iSpace CEO Takeshi Hakamada was optimistic about the overall outcome, saying the company had “fully accomplished the significance of this mission, having acquired a great deal of data and experience by being able to execute the landing phase.” The mission getting as far as it did is also a promising signifier for commercial involvement in space exploration, with the mission being the first commercial attempt to land on the moon as well as now holding the record for the furthest distance a privately-funded spacecraft has travelled.