Japan's H-2A rocket, built for JAXA by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, was capable of launching payloads into a geostationary orbit around Earth and to orbit around the moon. It also launched the ...

TOKYO — A private lunar lander from Japan crashed while attempting a touchdown Friday, the latest casualty in the commercial rush to the moon. The Tokyo-based company ispace declared the mission ...

The lander had successfully descended to about 20 km above the moon’s surface, but ispace’s mission control lost contact shortly afterwards, when the probe fired its main engine for the final ...

People await the update on ispace’s private lunar lander’s attempt to touch down on the moon Friday, June 6, 2025, in Tokyo, Japan. (Kyodo News via AP) A private lunar lander from Japan ...

The Tokyo-based company ispace, whose first moonshot ended in a crash landing in 2023, declared the mission a failure several hours after communication with the lander was lost.

This image taken from video shows flight controllers at ispace Mission Control in Tokyo awaiting confirmation of their private lunar lander touching down on the moon Friday, June 6, 2025.