NASA Spots Japanese Moon Lander Crash Site

NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has snapped dramatic images of a new lunar ‘blemish’ – the crash site of Tokyo-based company ispace’s failed moon mission. The photos reveal a dark smudge and faint debris halo in Mare Frigoris (Sea of Cold), marking where the Resilience lander and its mini rover met their untimely end last month.

The mission, launched from Florida’s Cape Canaveral in January, aimed to deliver payloads to the moon’s surface but instead became ispace’s second lunar setback in two years. Company officials will explain what went wrong during a press conference next week.

While the crash adds to the growing list of lunar exploration challenges, NASA’s sharp-eyed orbiter continues mapping our celestial neighbor – proving even failed missions leave lasting impressions. ‘Space exploration remains a high-risk, high-reward endeavor,’ one analyst told us, ‘but every crater teaches us something new.’

Reference(s):

NASA spacecraft photographs crash site of Japanese lunar lander

cgtn.com