Overview

• On June 5, ispace’s Resilience lunar lander lost contact during descent over Mare Frigoris after its laser rangefinder failed to deliver altitude data above 900 meters.
• NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter captured a 16-meter-wide crater on June 11, showing a dark smudge and a bright halo where the lander impacted the surface.
• The mission’s small microrover Tenacious and the art payload “Moonhouse” by Mikael Genberg were both destroyed in the hard landing.
• Ispace’s chief technology officer, Ryo Ujiie, says the company will strengthen sensor validation and explore alternative rangefinding solutions ahead of future missions.
• Despite consecutive setbacks, CEO Takeshi Hakamada confirmed that ispace will proceed with its third lunar landing attempt in 2027 in cooperation with NASA and JAXA.