First attempt by Japan's ispace biz to land on Moon ends in awkward silence

A private company's first attempt to land a spacecraft on the Moon ended in apparent failure on Tuesday. Japanese aerospace biz ispace's Hakuto-R lunar lander was supposed to touchdown on Earth's natural satellite today, though its mission control lost contact with the unmanned craft, and it is feared lost. Launched atop a …

[Doctor Syntax]

"we have to assume that we could not complete the landing on the lunar surface"

They may well have landed. There are landings and there are landings. A good landing is one you can walk away from (not that that would apply on the moon at present) and a great landing is one where the vehicle still works.

[Natalie Gritpants Jr]

It's not lost either, it's on the moon, probably close to where it was meant to land, possibly at lower altitude.

[anonymous boring coward]

Possibly disassembled.

[Winkypop]

Scores are in

The Chinese lander gave it a 6 for a poor dismount.

[Nursing A Semi]

hmmmm

Anyone know if it was wearing a headband?

[Omnipresent]

It's taking a dust nap

I was watching live, and it came down a little quickly IMO. My guess is it hit and toppled over. It's probably laying on it's side. It was pretty funny to me watching it play out tho. They were all awe inspired and grandiose, only to end in silence, and had to cut away. I had to laugh until I read this little tidbit...

"The Saudi made probe, launched by space X."

The guy is a national security hazard. He's in tight with the Saudis and Putin (who now own twit).

[IGotOut]

Re: It's taking a dust nap

You may of noticed most of the world is bed with the Saudi's. How else do you explain the rampant corruption and human rights abuses that get ignored?

[Alumoi]

Re: It's taking a dust nap

Oil

[StrangerHereMyself]

Fuel

https://ispace-inc.com/news-en/?p=4655

They ran out of fuel, it's a simple as that. Someone didn't do their math correctly.

The Chinese had a huge fuel margin and their craft essentially stopped about 30m above the ground. From then on they gently descended downward and landed like a feather.

A Moon landing isn't that difficult, but you have to give yourself plenty of margin to pull it off successfully. Don't skimp on fuel would be my motto. They decided to take on extra cargo so they could earn some more cash and look what it got them: a hole in the Lunar soil.

[Omnipresent]

Re: Fuel

I was thinking they may have run out of fuel early. It just seemed, to my untrained eye, that they were coming in a little hot. I bet it made a little bounce as it hit, and wound up on it's side.

[StrangerHereMyself]

Re: Fuel

Hitting the ground at 30km is quite a jolt. If their shock absorbers held it may well have bounced and ended up upside down or on its side.

More likely it simply broke up.

[ravenviz]

Re: Fuel

No doubt some future enthusiasts will find it one day. And worship it.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Fuel

“Future enthusiasts”

ChatGPT58: “Great Uncle, is that you?”

[Fruit and Nutcase]

Haiku

Any talented (or otherwise) commentard poets out there care to come up with a Haiku on this?

[Spherical Cow]

Re: Haiku

Moon landings are hard

As Hakuto-R found out

Better luck next time!

[Fruit and Nutcase]

Re: Haiku

Commendable

[midgepad]

Space is hard

And so is the Moon

[I&I]

A Ham Doppler Picture

Radio enthusiast Doppler traces and interpretation discussions https://twitter.com/uhf_satcom/status/1650921508728975361?s=46&t=bnU8YXX5UOSjU_ydZhj8lw