HAKUTO-R Mission 1: Private Japanese lander loses communication during touchdown on Moon

Japanese lunar exploration company ispace lost communication at the last minute during a planned touchdown on the surface of the Moon on Tuesday. "We assume that we could not complete the landing on the lunar surface," said Founder and CEO Takeshi Hakamad. After five months journeying through space, the HAKUTO-R Mission 1 Lunar Lander was scheduled to make a historic touchdown at 16:40 UTC in the Atlas Crater, which is in the northeastern sector of the Moon.