Hakuto-R Mission 1

{{Short description|Lunar landing mission by Japanese ispace}}

{{Infobox spaceflight

| name = Hakuto-R M1

| image = Maquette de Hakuto-R IAC 2022.jpg

| image_caption = Full-size model of Hakuto-R

| image_size = 300px

| insignia = Hakuto-R Mission 1 logo.png

| insignia_caption = Hakuto-R Mission 1 patch

| insignia_alt =

| insignia_size = 120px

| insignia_upright =

| mission_type = Lunar lander / Technology

| operator = ispace

| COSPAR_ID = 2022-168A

| SATCAT = 54696

| mission_duration = {{time interval|11 Dec 2022 07:38|25 Apr 2023 16:40|show=dhm|sep=,}}

| website = {{url|https://ispace-inc.com/m1}}

| spacecraft = Hakuto-R

| spacecraft_type =

| spacecraft_bus =

| manufacturer = ispace

| dimensions = {{cvt|2.3|xx|2.6|m|ft}}

| launch_mass = {{cvt|1000|kg|lb}}

| landing_mass =

| dry_mass = {{cvt|340|kg|lb}}

| power =

| launch_date = 11 December 2022, 07:38 UTC

| launch_rocket = Falcon 9 Block 5 B1073-5

| launch_site = CCSFS, SLC-40

| launch_contractor = SpaceX

| interplanetary =

{{Infobox spaceflight/IP

| type = lander_impact

| object = Moon

| arrival_date = 25 April 2023, 16:40 UTC

| location = Atlas crater
{{Coord|47.581|N|44.094|E|globe:Moon|display=inline}}

}}

| programme = Hakuto-R

| previous_mission =

| next_mission = Hakuto-R M2

}}

Hakuto-R Mission 1 was a failed private Japanese uncrewed lunar landing mission built and operated by ispace, which was launched in December 2022 for an attempted lunar landing in April 2023.

This first Hakuto mission was primarily a technology demonstrator and carried the Emirates Lunar Mission.{{r|nssdc1}} Travelling approximately {{Convert|1400000|km|mi}}, it is the furthest a privately-funded spacecraft has traveled.{{r|techcrunch1}} Communication with the lander was lost during the final seconds of its April 2023 descent.{{r|NYT-230425}}

Background

The project began with engineer Andrew Barton in 2008, who sought to win the Google Lunar X Prize by landing a privately-funded rover on the Moon, and gathered an international group of professionals to create White Label Space.{{r|NYT-230425}} Takeshi Hakamada would found ispace in 2010 as a Japanese branch of White Label Space{{r|NYT-230425}} Many of the professionals abandoned the project by 2013, though a group of Japanese members sought to continue with the project, which was renamed from White Label Space to Hakuto, based on the white Hare of Inaba in Japanese mythology.{{r|NYT-230425|Wired1}} By 2017, ispace had secured $90 million in funding and though no teams in the Google Lunar X Prize ever launched before the 2018 deadline, the Hakuto team would continue.{{r|NYT-230425}} In April 2022, iSpace was placed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, receiving a 65% increase in its share price within two weeks.{{r|NYT-230425}}

Lander specifications

The Hakuto-R lander was measured at {{Convert|2.3|m|ft}} tall by {{Convert|2.6|m|ft}} wide, with a total weight of approximately {{Convert|1000|kg}} with its payload and fuel.{{r|newscientist1}} To perform a stable landing, the lander was equipped with four landing legs and a main thruster.{{r|newscientist1}}

Mission

File:Aldo Ferruggia - Lacus Mortis.jpg

File:SORAQ-BackView.jpg

Hakuto-R Mission 1 was launched on 11 December 2022 aboard a Falcon 9 rocket,{{r|reuters1}} separating from the rocket 47 minutes later at a distance around {{Convert|970|km|mi}} away from Earth.{{r|NYT-230425}} Inside the spacecraft were payloads from the Emirates Lunar Mission rover Rashid in a partnership with the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC), along with Tomy and JAXA's Sora-Q transformable lunar robot.{{r|techcrunch1|gizmodo1|ispace1}} The lander also housed another payload, a music disc featuring the song ‘SORATO’ by the Japanese rock band Sakanaction, which was initially released in 2018 as a part of the Team Hakuto campaign for the Google Lunar X Prize.{{r|ispace2}}

Using data collected from a previous lunar scanning mission, ispace determined that the mission would attempt a landing in the Atlas crater in the Mare Frigoris region of the Moon; three other backup locations were selected, like those in Lacus Somniorum, Sinus Iridum and Oceanus Procellarum, among others.{{r|newscientist1|ispace2}} In an effort to conserve fuel, the mission used a slower path to approach the Moon, entering lunar orbit in March 2023.{{r|newscientist1}}

Landing attempt

After a five-month travel time, the mission traveled {{Convert|1400000|km|mi}}, further than any privately-funded spacecraft, to attempt a lunar landing on 25 April 2023.{{r|techcrunch1|space.com1}}

During the official live-stream,{{r|youtube1}} among the four possible landing locations, the site in Lacus Somniorum was initially shown in the animation, saying it was based on real-time telemetry from the lander; that later turned out to be misleading, since the telemetry coming from the lander was not reliable, and the actual attempted landing site was near Atlas crater, as had been decided initially.{{r|lroc1|ispace3|ispace2}}

Communication with the lander was lost during the final moments of descent to the lunar surface at 16:40 UTC (00:40 JST) on 25 April{{r|NYT-230425}} Analysis determined that the lander plummeted uncontrollably when the propellant was exhausted. This happened because the onboard computer incorrectly presumed the radar altimeter was faulty, and ignoring its data, misjudged the actual altitude of the spacecraft and kept hovering 5 km above the surface of the Moon.{{r|NYT-230425|ispace4|bloomberg1|nhk1}}

The crash site was later identified by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter team on 23 May 2023.{{r|lroc1}}

{{multiple image

| align = center

| direction = horizontal

| width =

| header = Impact Site of the HAKUTO-R Mission 1 Lunar Lander{{r|lroc1}}

| image1 = Ratio image of the Hakuto-R Mission-1 impact site.png

| caption1 = Ejecta field around impact site

| image2 = Hakuto-R Mission-1 impact site blink animation of before and after states 01.gif

| caption2 = Before and after image of the impact site

| image3 = Hakuto-R Mission-1 impact site blink animation of before and after states 02.gif

| caption3 = Before and after images of the impact site

| footer =

| total_width =

}}

See also

References

{{reflist|refs=

{{Cite news

| author1= N. Takahashi

| author2= M. J. Lee

| author3= L. Grush

| title= Japan Spacecraft Believed to Have Crashed on Moon During Landing

| url= https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-04-25/japan-s-ispace-says-it-lost-contact-with-moon-lander

| website= Bloomberg.com

| date= 25 April 2023

| access-date= 27 April 2023 }}

{{cite web

| author1= P. Rabie

| title= SpaceX Launches Moon-Bound Private Japanese Lander Following Delays

| url= https://gizmodo.com/spacex-ispace-lunar-mission-hakuto-r-m1-1849884016

| website= Gizmodo.com

| date= 12 December 2022

| access-date= 15 December 2022 }}

{{Cite web

| title= ispace、2022年末頃の打ち上げに向け、フライトモデル組み立ての最終工程に着手 Hakuto-Rのミッション1と2の進捗報告を実施

| trans-title= Ispace begins the final process of assembling the flight model for launch around the end of 2022. Reports on the progress of Hakuto-R missions 1 and 2.

| url= https://ispace-inc.com/news-en/?p=2513

| website= ispace-inc.com

| publisher= ispace

| access-date= 29 April 2023 }}

{{cite web

| title= Ispace Announces Mission 1 Launch Date

| url= https://ispace-inc.com/news-en/?p=3939

| website= ispace-inc.com

| publisher= ispace

| access-date= 27 April 2023 }}

{{Cite web

| title= 2022年、月の映像データはこの場所にやってくる。 民間月面探査プログラム「Hakuto-R」 Mission Control Centerを開設

| trans-title= In 2022, the moon's video data will arrive at this location. Private lunar exploration program “Hakuto-R” Mission Control Center opened

| url= https://ispace-inc.com/news-en/?p=2549

| website= ispace-inc.com

| publisher= ispace

| access-date= 27 April 2023 }}

{{Cite web

| title= Status Update on ispace Hakuto-R Mission 1 Lunar Lander

| url= https://ispace-inc.com/news-en/?p=4655

| website= ispace-inc.com

| publisher= ispace

| access-date= 26 April 2023 }}

{{Cite web

| author1= E. Speyerer

| title= Impact Site of the Hakuto-R Mission 1 Lunar Lander

| url= http://lroc.sese.asu.edu/posts/1302

| website= lroc.sese.asu.edu

| date= 23 May 2023

| access-date= 24 May 2023 }}

{{Cite web

| author1= J. O'Callaghan

| title= Watch Japan's ispace attempt moon landing with Hakuto-R lunar lander

| url= https://www.newscientist.com/article/2370639-watch-japans-ispace-attempt-moon-landing-with-hakuto-r-lunar-lander/

| website= New Scientist

| date= 25 April 2023

| access-date= 26 April 2023 }}

{{Cite web

| title= 月面着陸 開発の民間企業が会見 "途中で燃料がつきて落下か"

| trans-title= Private company developing moon landing holds press conference: "Maybe the rocket ran out of fuel and fell during the mission?"

| url= https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20230426/k10014049671000.html

| website= NHKニュース

| publisher= 日本放送協会

| date= 26 April 2023

| access-date= 27 April 2023

| archive-date= 3 May 2023

| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20230503065637/https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20230426/k10014049671000.html

| url-status= dead

| language= ja }}

{{Cite web

| title= Hakuto-R M1

| url= https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=2022-168A

| website= nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov

| publisher= NASA

| access-date= 25 April 2023 }}

{{Cite news

| author1= K. Chang

| title= Live Updates: A Japanese Company Attempts the 1st Private Moon Landing

| url= https://www.nytimes.com/live/2023/04/25/science/ispace-moon-landing-japan

| work= The New York Times

| issn= 0362-4331

| date= 25 April 2023

| access-date= 26 April 2023 }}

{{cite news

| author1= R. Swift

| title=Japan's ispace launches commercial moon lander, in potential world first

| url= https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/science/japans-ispace-readies-delayed-launch-first-commercial-moon-lander-2022-12-10/

| newspaper= Reuters

| date= 13 April 2023 }}

{{cite web

| author1= E. Howell

| title= A private moon lander will make history when it touches down on April 25. Here's how to watch it live

| url= https://www.space.com/historic-moon-private-landing-ispace-webcast

| website= Space.com

| date= 24 April 2023 }}

{{Cite web

| author1= A. Alamalhodaei

| title= Watch ispace attempt to land on the moon for the first time

| url= https://techcrunch.com/2023/04/25/watch-ispace-attempt-to-land-on-the-moon-for-the-first-time/

| website= TechCrunch.com

| date=25 April 2023 }}

{{cite news

| author1= S. Scoles

| title= The Japanese Space Bots That Could Build Moon Valley

| url= https://www.wired.com/story/the-japanese-space-bots-that-could-build-moon-valley/

| work= Wired

| date= 14 May 2018 }}

{{YouTube

| title= ispace Hakuto-R Mission 1: Landing Live Stream

| id= CpR1UUnix3g }}

}}

{{Moon spacecraft}}

{{Lunar landers}}

{{Orbital launches in 2022}}

{{Solar System probes}}

{{Japanese space program}}

Category:Landers (spacecraft)

Category:Spacecraft launched in 2022

Category:Missions to the Moon

Category:Spacecraft that impacted the Moon

Category:2023 on the Moon

Category:Private space missions