Japanese Space Company Says Moon Lander Likely Crashed
2023-04-27
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1A Japanese space exploration company said Wednesday there was "a high probability" that its vehicle crashed while trying to land on the moon.
2The vehicle from ispace launched on a SpaceX rocket from Florida in December.
3It sent images of Earth back to Tokyo throughout its trip. The vehicle entered the moon's orbit on March 21.
4If the project had succeeded, ispace would have been the first private business to make a moon landing.
5Space agencies of the United States, former Soviet Union and China have succeeded in such efforts.
6The ispace lander was carrying a rover, a vehicle to explore the moon's surface, provided by the United Arab Emirates.
7A small robot was also on the flight.
8Ispace officials told reporters later on Wednesday that its lander may have run out of fuel and crashed.
9The last communication showed the vehicle low on fuel and the lander increasing in speed.
10Chief technology officer Ryo Ujiie called it a "free fall."
11Takeshi Hakamada started ispace in 2010.
12Hakamada said another moon-landing attempt is planned for next year.
13The goal of ispace is to become a transport service to the moon for equipment and other goods.
14The company has raised $300 million to cover its first three missions.
15"We will keep going, never quit the lunar quest," Hakamada said.
16A Japanese government spokesman, Hirokazu Matsuno, said it was sad news but the nation wants ispace to "keep trying."
17One member of the U.S. space program offered kind words for ispace on Twitter.
18"If space is hard, landing is harder," Laurie Leshin wrote.
19She is the director of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
20"I know from personal experience how awful this feels."
21Leshin worked on the Mars polar lander that crashed in 1999.
22It is the second crash or explosion for private space exploration companies in the last week.
23SpaceX's Starship rocket exploded a few minutes after the launch of a test flight on April 20.
24Many countries and private businesses are trying once again to reach the moon.
25NASA's Artemis program made it to the moon and back in 2022.
26Two American companies have finished moon landers and are hoping to launch later this year.
27China has landed three spacecraft on the moon since 2013 and the U.S., China, India and South Korea have satellites in place.
28I'm Dan Friedell.
1A Japanese space exploration company said Wednesday there was "a high probability" that its vehicle crashed while trying to land on the moon. 2The vehicle from ispace launched on a SpaceX rocket from Florida in December. It sent images of Earth back to Tokyo throughout its trip. The vehicle entered the moon's orbit on March 21. 3If the project had succeeded, ispace would have been the first private business to make a moon landing. Space agencies of the United States, former Soviet Union and China have succeeded in such efforts. 4The ispace lander was carrying a rover, a vehicle to explore the moon's surface, provided by the United Arab Emirates. A small robot was also on the flight. 5Ispace officials told reporters later on Wednesday that its lander may have run out of fuel and crashed. The last communication showed the vehicle low on fuel and the lander increasing in speed. 6Chief technology officer Ryo Ujiie called it a "free fall." 7Takeshi Hakamada started ispace in 2010. Hakamada said another moon-landing attempt is planned for next year. The goal of ispace is to become a transport service to the moon for equipment and other goods. The company has raised $300 million to cover its first three missions. 8"We will keep going, never quit the lunar quest," Hakamada said. 9A Japanese government spokesman, Hirokazu Matsuno, said it was sad news but the nation wants ispace to "keep trying." 10One member of the U.S. space program offered kind words for ispace on Twitter. 11"If space is hard, landing is harder," Laurie Leshin wrote. She is the director of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. "I know from personal experience how awful this feels." 12Leshin worked on the Mars polar lander that crashed in 1999. 13It is the second crash or explosion for private space exploration companies in the last week. SpaceX's Starship rocket exploded a few minutes after the launch of a test flight on April 20. 14Many countries and private businesses are trying once again to reach the moon. NASA's Artemis program made it to the moon and back in 2022. Two American companies have finished moon landers and are hoping to launch later this year. China has landed three spacecraft on the moon since 2013 and the U.S., China, India and South Korea have satellites in place. 15I'm Dan Friedell. 16Dan Friedell adapted this story for Learning English based on reports by the Associated Press and Reuters. 17______________________________________________________________________ 18Words in This Story 19quest -n. an important journey or project 20lunar -adj. having to do with the moon 21awful -adj. something bad or unpleasant 22______________________________________________________________________ 23We want to hear from you. Are you excited about the new moon exploration projects? 24Here is how our comment system works: 25Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.