A Japanese company, ispace, had to call off its historic attempt to land a spacecraft on the Moon after losing contact with the vehicle just before touchdown. This setback means Japan won’t—for now—join the short list of nations and private firms that have pulled off a soft lunar landing.

Editor’s Note: Moon landings are still incredibly hard, even for private companies with serious backing. While this is a blow for ispace and Japan’s space ambitions, it’s a reminder of how risky and cutting-edge these missions are. Every failure teaches engineers something new, but it also shows how much work remains before lunar landings become routine.

Well, that didn't go as planned. A Japanese private moon lander bit the dust—literally—during its touchdown attempt on Friday. It's another bump in the road for the growing wave of commercial missions trying to stake a claim on the lunar surface.

Editor’s Note: This crash is a reminder that landing on the moon is still really, really hard—even for private companies with big ambitions. While governments like the U.S. and China have pulled off soft landings, commercial players keep hitting snags. That doesn’t mean the race to the moon is over, but it does show that space is still a high-risk, high-reward game. For Japan, it’s a setback, but also a learning moment for future missions.

A Japanese space startup has admitted defeat in its latest attempt to land on the moon, marking the second time their spacecraft has crashed on the lunar surface. The company had high hopes for this mission, but history repeated itself in a disappointing way.

Editor’s Note: This isn’t just another failed moonshot—it’s a setback for private space ventures trying to break into lunar exploration. Japan’s space ambitions took a hit, and it raises questions about the challenges smaller companies face in an industry dominated by big players like NASA and SpaceX. Still, every crash teaches engineers something new, so the lessons here might pave the way for future successes.

Japanese space startup Ispace has fallen short in its second attempt to land a spacecraft on the moon, dashing hopes of becoming the first private company outside the U.S. to pull off a soft lunar touchdown. The mission’s failure is a setback for the company, which had been racing to make history in the competitive—and risky—private space exploration sector.

Editor’s Note: This isn’t just about one company’s stumble—it’s a reminder of how hard it is to land on the moon, even for well-funded private players. With governments and startups alike vying for lunar milestones, failures like this highlight the challenges (and costs) of pushing boundaries in space. For Ispace, it’s back to the drawing board, but the broader race to commercialize space isn’t slowing down.

Japan's private space company ispace just hit a major snag in its historic moon landing attempt—mission control lost contact with the uncrewed lander during its descent. It’s unclear if the spacecraft crashed or simply went silent, but hopes for a smooth touchdown are fading fast.

Editor’s Note: This isn’t just a setback for ispace—it’s a reminder of how brutally hard landing on the moon still is, even for private firms with cutting-edge tech. A successful landing would’ve marked Japan’s first lunar touchdown and a big leap for commercial space ventures. Now, the world’s watching to see if the mission can be salvaged or if this joins the long list of lunar near-misses.

Japan's private moon lander, Resilience, went silent during its final descent to the lunar surface, leaving its fate unclear. This marks the second setback for the company, Ispace, after a previous mission also failed. The lander was carrying some interesting cargo—a rover and even a tiny model house—as part of the growing push by private firms to explore the moon.

Editor’s Note: This isn’t just about one failed landing—it’s a reminder of how tricky moon missions still are, even for private companies with big ambitions. With more firms racing to the moon, each stumble teaches hard lessons. If private lunar missions are going to become routine, they’ll need to figure out how to stick the landing, literally.

A Japanese company's second shot at landing a commercial spacecraft on the moon appears to have failed, just like its first attempt two years ago. The uncrewed lander, named Resilience, would have been the first non-US private mission to pull off a lunar touchdown—but things seem to have gone wrong again.

Editor’s Note: Private moon landings are hard, and this setback shows how tricky it is even for experienced teams. While it’s a bummer for ispace, these failures teach engineers what not to do next time—and remind us why space remains one of humanity’s toughest challenges.