Japanese Private Lander Loses Contact During Moon Descent

Tokyo-based company ispace lost communication with its private lunar lander, Resilience, during its descent to the Moon, leaving the mission's success uncertain. The lander had successfully exited lunar orbit and was scheduled to touch down in the Mare Frigoris region, carrying a lightweight rover named Tenacious along with several scientific payloads. Despite an hour-long descent and ongoing efforts to reestablish contact, the company's livestream abruptly cut off, and no confirmation of landing was received. This was ispace's second attempt to land on the Moon, following a failed mission two years prior, and the company views the mission as a stepping stone toward a larger lander planned for 2027 involving NASA. The mission had symbolic significance as it aimed to sell lunar soil samples to NASA to support commercial activity in space. Industry experts, including former NASA astronaut Leroy Chiao, have expressed cautious concern over the loss of contact, highlighting the challenges private companies face in lunar exploration.