Japanese startup ispace Inc admits failure in attempt to make first private moon landing

Japanese startup ispace Inc (9348.T) said its attempt to make the first private moon landing had failed after losing contact with its Hakuto-R Mission 1 (M1) lander, concluding it had most likely crashed on the lunar surface. ispace in a statement said, the final pings of data in the moments before the planned touchdown showed the lander’s speed rapidly increasing, leading engineers at mission control in Tokyo to determine a successful landing was not achievable. But a lunar landing would be an ambitious feat for a private firm. Only the United States, the former Soviet Union, and China have soft-landed spacecraft on the moon, with attempts in recent years by India and a private Israeli company ending in failure.