NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), has spotted a resting place of Japan’s ispace’s Hakuto-R Mission 1 lunar lander, which was carrying the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Rashid Rover to the moon.
The mission was launched on December 11, 2022 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket.
On April 25, the spacecraft had lost contact with flight controllers as it attempted to land on the moon.
The ispace team later confirmed that the lander did not touch the surface safely.
On Tuesday, NASA released pictures showing the site where the crash occurred.
LRO used its cameras to capture images around the landing site. When photos taken before and after the landing were compared, anomalies were found.
According to NASA, at least four pieces of debris and other minor discrepancies can be seen in the images.
“This site will be analysed more over the coming months, as LROC has the opportunity to reimage the site under various lighting and viewing geometries,” NASA said.
As per media reports, a media briefing will be held by ispace on friday to reveal reasons for the failed mission
After the failed attempt, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai on April 26, ordered another rover to be built immediately, named Rashid Rover 2.
