On Friday, Tokyo-based space company ispace explained the reason behind the failure of its unprecedented private sector-based attempt to land on the moon.
The landing craft's control system had malfunctioned while hovering over a crater with an elevation change of about 3 kilometers. The ship landed on the moon due to a dispersion between the actual and predicted altitudes, causing it to crash.
The spacecraft encountered no significant problems on its journey to the moon. In fiscal 2024, the company plans to launch a similar lander after addressing the control system problem through software improvements and other measures.
The lander began its descent on April 26 from an altitude of 100 kilometers above the moon. As it passed over the rim of a crater approximately 15 kilometers from the intended landing site, the sensor responsible for reporting altitude began to fluctuate significantly. The system misinterpreted a sensor malfunction, which resulted in an inaccurate altitude estimate.
While flying at a height of 5 kilometers, the lander misidentified its position as having just arrived on the moon. With just a minute left, the craft's fuel ran out, resulting in it plummeting to the moon at a speed exceeding 360 kilometers per hour.
Now that the cause is clear, we ll be sure to use this knowledge to inform our future endeavors, said ispace's CEO, Takeshi Hakamada, at a press conference at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo.
The spacecraft manufacturer has established a strategy of transporting goods to the moon and selling lunar surface data.