TOKYO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 26th April, 2023) Japanese private space company ispace said on Tuesday it could not confirm the landing of its pioneer lunar mission, as contact with the HAKUTO-R lander had been lost.
"Our HAKUTO-R Mission 1 Lunar Lander was expected to land on the surface of the Moon at 1:40 am JST on April 26, 2023 (16:40 GMT April 25). At this time, our Mission Control Center in Tokyo has not been able to confirm the success of the lander. Our engineers and mission operations specialists in our MCC are currently working to confirm the current status of the lander. Further information on the status of the lander will be announced as it becomes available," the company tweeted.
The company said on Twitter earlier in the day 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.
