Lunar Ambitions: ispace's Resilience Faces Challenges on the Moon

Japanese firm ispace's uncrewed moon lander, Resilience, likely crashed during its lunar touchdown attempt, echoing a similar failure in 2023. This setback highlights the challenges faced in the competitive lunar exploration business. Despite the failure, ispace remains committed to the Artemis program, with plans for future missions.


Devdiscourse News Desk | Updated: 06-06-2025 10:33 IST | Created: 06-06-2025 10:33 IST
Lunar Ambitions: ispace's Resilience Faces Challenges on the Moon
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In a recent setback for Japan's lunar exploration ambitions, ispace announced that its uncrewed moon lander, Resilience, likely crashed upon its attempted touchdown. This marks another failure for ispace, two years after their first unsuccessful mission.

This development dampens Japan's commercial lunar aspirations, although the country continues to support the U.S.-led Artemis program. Resilience faced challenges with altitude measurement and descent speed, resulting in a potential hard landing, leaving communication with the lander impossible.

Despite this, ispace's market position appears stable, with strong investor backing. The company remains focused on future missions, including a collaboration with NASA, as private firms play an increasingly pivotal role in lunar exploration.

(With inputs from agencies.)

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