CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA’s spacecraft currently orbiting the moon has captured images revealing the impact site of a lunar lander from a Japanese company. These photographs, which were released by NASA on Friday, were taken approximately two weeks after the unfortunate collision. The spacecraft named Resilience, operated by ispace, a Tokyo-based company, had attempted a landing but instead crashed into the moon. Located in the Mare Frigoris region, also known as Sea of Cold, this area is characterized by its volcanic landscape situated in the moon’s far northern hemisphere.
The images depict a noticeable dark mark where Resilience, along with its mini rover, met their end. Surrounding this impact site is a faint halo, a result of lunar dust being displaced by the crash. These details were captured by NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter in a flyover last week. The orbiter’s timely imaging has provided insight into the location and extent of the crash.
This incident marks the second failure for ispace within a two-year timeframe, dealing a significant setback to the company’s lunar ambitions. Officials from ispace have scheduled a news conference for next week, intending to offer a detailed explanation on the factors leading to this mission’s failure. This mission had an hopeful start when it was launched from Cape Canaveral back in January.