The Hakuto-R Mission 1 lunar vehicle, which aims to be the first private vehicle to land on the Moon, most likely failed in its mission and crashed onto the Moon’s surface.
The Hakuto-R Mission 1 lunar vehicle began its 4-month journey in December 2022, with a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch. The team behind the vehicle were able to send the vehicle to the Moon on a slow but more fuel-efficient journey, but things didn’t go as planned at the last moment. Unfortunately, the ispace crew lost contact with the spacecraft.
“We couldn’t confirm that we were communicating with the lander,” ispace CEO Takeshi Hakamada said at a press conference. “We had communication until the end of the descent. However, we have now lost communication, so we have to assume that we did not complete the descent to the lunar surface.”
During the live broadcast, an impressive video of the Moon’s surface was shown from the lander. You can see it right below:
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