NASA capture reveals debris of destroyed Japanese moon lander

Space startup ispace admits falling flat on the moon for another time, but they're ready to bounce back and learn from their mistakes. This Japanese company tried to make history in June 2023 with the Resilience lander, aiming to touch down on the lunar surface for the first time. Unfortunately, it impacted the moon instead, leaving a dark smudge in its wake.

The root cause of the crash? It seems a glitch in the laser range finder, a crucial tool that measures distance, snatched the spotlight. According to ispace, the gizmo failed during descent, leaving the spacecraft flying blind. The engines, software, and power were all good to go, but the lack of altitude info spelled disaster.

After several sleepless nights, the team concluded the misstep wasn't a repeat of their previous blunder in 2021. That crash was blamed on faulty software incorrectly estimating altitude, but this time, hardware took center stage. The new laser system was a new supplier's model flown for the very first time.

Determined not to experience another hard landing, ispace plans to tackle the issue head-on. They'll beef up sensors, improve hardware selection, and establish an external review panel to offer a fresh perspective. On top of that, the company will strengthen ties with Japan's space agency, JAXA, and ramp up testing for future moon missions.

The price tag? around $10.3 million additional development costs for the next 2 missions, scheduled for liftoff in 2027. But ispace assures us that their budget and timelines remain on track!

Not all is lost; the Resilience carried a teeny European rover named Tenacious, hoping to explore the lunar surface. The rover, unfortunately, didn't get its chance. But if you're into art, you might root for the red Swedish dollhouse - the "Moonhouse"- which still aims for a lunar landing in the near future!

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News reports suggest that Google might be collaborating with ispace and other tech companies in the industry, focusing on data-and-cloud-computing and artificial-intelligence, to analyze the lunar mission data for improved future missions.
As ispace prepares for its upcoming missions in 2027, they've turned to tech giants like Twitter for extensive public support and engagement, aiming to enhance their lunar exploration efforts.
In the aerospace sector, the failure of the Resilience lander has sparked a debate about the reliability of new hardware from unverified suppliers, potentially leading to stricter quality control checks in the near future.
Finance analysts predict that ispace's increased development costs for the next two missions could impact the company's projected earnings, but investors remain optimistic due to the long-term potential of the private lunar exploration market.
Some see the setback suffered by ispace as a stepping stone for the advancement of private lunar exploration, encouraging collaboration among tech companies, space agencies, and finance institutions to ensure the success of future missions.