Japanese private lunar lander falls silent while attempting moon touchdown

Japanese private lunar lander falls silent while attempting moon touchdown Science Jun 5, 2025 4:15 PM EDT

A private lunar lander from Japan descended toward a touchdown on the moon Friday, but flight controllers lost contact with the spacecraft and were unsure of its fate.

The Tokyo-based company ispace said its lander dropped out of lunar orbit as planned. But there was no immediate word on the outcome, following the hourlong descent.

As the tension mounted, the company’s livestream of the attempted landing came to an abrupt end. “We haven’t been able to confirm,” one of the commentators said in Japanese, but Mission Control “will continuously attempt to communicate with the lander.”

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