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Japan's Lander HAKUTO-R Could Have Made Hard Landing on Moon's Surface

© AP Photo / Eugene HoshikoМодели посадочного модуля и лунохода HAKUTO-R перед прямой трансляцией высадки на Луну
Модели посадочного модуля и лунохода HAKUTO-R перед прямой трансляцией высадки на Луну - Sputnik India, 1920, 26.04.2023
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The HAKUTO-R Mission Control Center in Tokyo confirmed that the lander "was in a vertical position as it carried out the final approach to the lunar surface."
Japanese private space company ispace said on Wednesday that the HAKUTO-R lander was likely to have "made a hard landing" on the Moon's surface and it was impossible to determine a successful touchdown or establish communications with the lander.
"The HAKUTO-R Mission 1 Lunar Lander was scheduled to touchdown on the surface of the Moon at approximately 1:40 a.m. JST [on April 26, 16:40 GMT April 25]. As of 8:00 a.m. JST, April 26, 2023, the communication between the lander and the Mission Control Center was lost, although it was expected even after the touchdown, and it has been determined that Success 9 of the Mission Milestones is not achievable," the company said in an update on the lender's status.
According to the update, the HAKUTO-R Mission Control Center in Tokyo confirmed that the lander "was in a vertical position as it carried out the final approach to the lunar surface."
"Shortly after the scheduled landing time, no data was received indicating a touchdown. ispace engineers monitored the estimated remaining propellant reached at the lower threshold and shortly afterward the descent speed rapidly increased. After that, the communication loss happened. Based on this, it has been determined that there is a high probability that the lander eventually made a hard landing on the Moon’s surface," the statement read.
The company's engineers were working on a detailed analysis of telemetry data from the lander to find the root causes of the incident and clarify details after completing the analysis.
UAE newspaper Khaleej Times reported on Tuesday that communications with the lander were lost when it had descended the final 33 feet at the speed of about 16 mph.
The company said on Tuesday that it could not confirm the landing of its pioneer lunar mission as it lost contact with the lander.
The company also tweeted on Tuesday that the primary landing site for their HAKUTO-R Mission 1 module would be the Atlas Crater located in the northeastern quadrant of the Moon since it "meets the technical specifications of the lander technology demonstration mission, the scientific exploration objectives for the [Emirates' Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Center] mission, as well as the mission requirements of our other customers."
The HAKUTO-R Mission 1 module was set to become the first part of the Hakuro-R moon exploration program initiated by ispace.
Марсоход Чжужун на посадочной платформе в представлении художника - Sputnik India, 1920, 24.04.2023
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