A private lunar lander from Japan crashed while attempting to touch down on the moon, marking the second failed attempt for the company ispace. The mission was declared a failure after losing communication with the lander just before the scheduled landing. The cause was attributed to a malfunction in the laser system for measuring altitude.
Key Points
The private lunar lander crash-landed while attempting to touch down on the moon
Communication was lost with the lander shortly before the scheduled landing
Malfunction in the laser altitude measurement system likely led to the crash