【ライブ】“月つき着陸ちゃくりく船せんと通信つうしん確立かくりつできず” ベンチャー企業きぎょう

Venture company ispace in Tokyo attempted the first lunar landing by a Japanese private company on the morning of the 6th, but after the scheduled landing time of just after 4 a.m., they announced that communication with the lunar lander has not been established.

The company is continuing to investigate the details of the situation and plans to hold a press conference to provide an explanation starting at 9 a.m.

The lunar lander developed by the Tokyo-based venture company ispace was launched from a launch site in Florida, USA, this January, flew toward the moon, and on the 28th of last month, entered an orbit about 100 kilometers above the lunar surface.

Around 3 a.m. on the 6th, it began its descent to the lunar surface, gradually lowering its altitude over about an hour while decelerating by firing its thrusters.

And at 4:17 a.m., it was scheduled to land on a flat, craterless area in the northern hemisphere of the Moon called the Sea of Ice, but after the scheduled landing time, at around 4:30 a.m., the company announced that they had not been able to establish communication with the lunar lander.

The company is continuing to investigate the details of the situation and plans to hold a press conference to provide an explanation starting at 9 a.m.

ispace failed to land on the moon the year before last, and this time they took measures such as reviewing their control system and landing site before trying again.

Regarding lunar landings, last year an American space development company became the first private entity to successfully land an unmanned spacecraft on the moon, and in March of this year, another American company also succeeded, intensifying the competition in development.

Approximately 500 company representatives watch with bated breath In Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, about 500 people, including company representatives, gathered for a support event. As data on altitude and speed sent from the lunar lander descending toward the moon was displayed on the screen, many people watched with bated breath.

And then, after the scheduled landing time had passed and the information that communication could not be established was announced, the atmosphere at the venue became tense, and the people gathered there had serious expressions on their faces.