Moonshot Meltdown: Japan’s ispace Crashes for the Second Time in High-Stakes Lunar Race
Japan’s ispace lunar mission ends in disappointment as communication fails before touchdown. What’s next for private spaceflight in 2025?
- 2nd failed landing: ispace’s Resilience lander hits the lunar surface, missing its target once more.
- $100M+: Estimated cost of ispace’s earlier moonshot, with this attempt believed to be less expensive.
- 5 countries: Only a handful have managed robotic lunar landings — including Japan.
- 2 new missions: U.S. companies Blue Origin & Astrobotic aim for the moon before 2026.
Japan’s daring lunar ambitions took a dramatic turn Friday, June 6, 2025—when Tokyo-based ispace lost contact with its private moon lander, “Resilience”, just moments before a historic touchdown. The highly anticipated mission, designed to land a mini rover and a Swedish artist’s toy-sized “Moonhouse” on the lunar surface, became the latest casualty in 2025’s heated commercial race to the moon.
Flight controllers, glued to their monitors, watched their hopes vanish in silence as communications with Resilience disappeared less than two minutes before the scheduled landing. Despite tense attempts to reestablish contact, ispace’s team was forced to declare the mission a failure.
What Caused the Crash?
Early analysis suggests the culprit was a botched laser altimeter—the device responsible for measuring altitude. With those vital readings off, Resilience descended too quickly and likely slammed into the moon’s rugged northern region, Mare Frigoris, nicknamed the Sea of Cold. Until that fatal moment, everything seemed on track.
This marks ispace’s second lunar attempt that ended in disaster. Two years prior, its maiden mission also crash-landed, giving way to the fortuitous name “Resilience” for its successor. Despite the back-to-back mishaps, CEO Takeshi Hakamada reassured the world that ispace is determined to keep aiming higher, insisting the lessons learned would make future missions stronger.
Why Are Private Moon Landings So Tough?
The moon’s surface remains one of Earth’s most brutal frontiers—just ask private companies. Since 2019, commercial outfits have joined the NASA-fueled race, but repeated crash landings mean success is rare. Earlier in 2025, Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost became the first private firm to stick the landing, while Intuitive Machines’ lander face-planted soon after.
ispace’s Resilience had ambitious plans: after a months-long journey from Florida’s launchpad and a shared SpaceX ride, it was set to beam back striking lunar images and deploy its 11-pound European-built rover, “Tenacious.” The rover, equipped with a shovel for lunar soil sampling, was even meant to deliver a whimsical red house—a symbol of humanity’s creative spirit.
The failure underscores how complex and expensive these missions remain. ispace, like many startups, can’t weather too many setbacks. Yet resiliency remains their mantra as they prepare for a future, larger lander project—this time partnering with NASA for a moonward push by 2027.
Who Has Actually Landed on the Moon?
So far, just five countries have managed robotic lunar landings: Russia, the U.S., China, India, and Japan. Only America has walked the moon, sending 12 astronauts between 1969 and 1972. The future? It’s heating up fast:
– NASA plans a crewed lunar orbit in 2026 and a historic return to the surface soon after, with SpaceX‘s Starship at the helm.
– China targets landing its own astronauts by 2030.
– U.S. firms Blue Origin and Astrobotic are set for moon missions by the end of 2025, hoping to avoid past blunders.
Q&A: What Was Special About ispace’s Mission?
Q: What was Resilience carrying?
A: Along with science equipment, it was set to deploy the “Tenacious” rover for soil collection and deliver the “Moonhouse” art piece onto lunar soil.
Q: Why was Mare Frigoris chosen?
A: This relatively flat region offers fewer landing hazards compared to the moon’s shadowy south pole.
Q: What’s next for ispace?
A: The company remains committed to lunar exploration, prepping a larger lander and deeper collaborations, particularly with NASA.
How Private Companies Plan to Succeed Next Time
Private teams now focus on better sensors, rigorous testing, and fail-safes to dodge the costly errors which have thus far plagued lunar ambitions. Partnerships with government agencies like NASA offer fresh funding and expertise, while the public’s hunger for moonshots only grows.
Ready for the Next Lunar Leap? Here’s How to Follow the Action
- Track upcoming missions from Blue Origin and Astrobotic Technology.
- Follow live mission updates at NASA and SpaceX.
- Watch out for China’s human landing in 2030.
- Keep an eye on ispace’s future announcements and their 2027 mega-lander plans.
Stay tuned as the private lunar race intensifies. Don’t miss humanity’s next shot at conquering the moon—follow, share, and keep your eyes on the stars!
Checklist: Stay Informed & Inspired
- Subscribe to NASA and SpaceX news.
- Bookmark private space company updates.
- Join social channels for live mission alerts.
- Explore lunar science and art collaborations.
- Be ready — the next lunar milestone is just around the corner!
