Japan’s ispace’s Hakuto-R Mission 1 lunar lander, which was carrying the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Rashid Rover to the moon, crashed on the lunar surface because of an altitude miscalculation that caused it to run out of fuel.
On Friday, ispace released the results of an investigation into the failure, citing faulty altitude control software as a major factor in the crash.
“The analysis reveals that the lander fully completed the entire planned deceleration process, slowing to the target speed of less than 1m/s in a vertical position at an altitude of approximately 5km above the lunar surface,” ispace said in a press release.
“Although the lander did not complete a soft landing,” ispace adds.
ispace said, the cause has been identified and improvements are being incorporated into Mission 2 and Mission 3.
“We have already begun work on Mission 2 and Mission 3. We are prepared to face the challenges and make every effort to improve. We will ensure that the valuable knowledge gained from Mission 1 will lead us to the next stage of evolution,” Takeshi Hakamada, Founder and CEO of ispace said.
The mission was launched on December 11, 2022 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket.
On April 26, the spacecraft had lost contact with flight controllers as it attempted to land on the moon.
On May 24, NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), has spotted a resting place of spacecraft.
LRO used its cameras to capture images around the landing site. When photos taken before and after the landing were compared, anomalies were found.
At least four pieces of debris and other minor discrepancies can be seen in the images.
On April 26, after the failed attempt, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai ordered another rover to be built immediately, named Rashid Rover 2.
