First lunar lander attempt by Japanese company ispace.
HAKUTO-R Mission 1 was the first lunar landing attempt by ispace, a Japanese commercial space company aiming to build a cislunar transportation business. Launched on December 11, 2022, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9, the lander took a fuel-efficient low-energy trajectory to the Moon, arriving in lunar orbit in March 2023 before attempting its landing on April 25.
The mission carried several payloads including the Rashid rover for the UAE's Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre, a solid-state battery experiment from NGK Spark Plug, and an artificial food-based material from Japanese company Gulliver. Success would have made ispace the first private company to land on the Moon.
During the final descent on April 25, 2023, the lander's altitude sensor encountered a cliff-like terrain feature on the rim of Atlas crater, causing the software to incorrectly estimate altitude. The onboard computer believed the lander was at the surface when it was still several kilometers above, and the engine cut off prematurely. The spacecraft free-fell and crashed.
Demonstrate ispace's ability to land a commercial spacecraft on the Moon, aiming to become the first private company to achieve a lunar soft landing.
Deliver the UAE's Rashid rover, a 10 kg four-wheeled explorer built by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre, to the lunar surface.
Prove the commercial payload delivery model by transporting experiments from multiple customers including NGK Spark Plug and the Canadian Space Agency.
Demonstrate a fuel-efficient low-energy trajectory to the Moon, taking several months but requiring less propellant than a direct transfer.
HAKUTO-R Mission 1 ended in failure when the lander crashed during its descent to Atlas crater on April 25, 2023. Post-flight investigation revealed that the altitude sensor was confused by a cliff-like terrain feature on the crater rim. The software's altitude estimate became negative (below the expected surface), which the system corrected to zero — telling the computer the lander had arrived at the surface.
The main engine shut off while the spacecraft was still several kilometers above the ground, and it free-fell to destruction. All payloads including the UAE's Rashid rover were lost. Despite the failure, ispace gained valuable data from the successful Earth-to-lunar-orbit phases and proceeded with Mission 2.
ispace's HAKUTO-R Mission 1 lander lost contact during final descent to Atlas crater. The altitude sensor was confused by terrain, causing premature engine cutoff and a crash landing. All payloads including the UAE's Rashid rover were lost.
