Japan's Private Lunar Lander Crashes During Historic Moon Landing Attempt

Tokyo-based company ispace's lunar lander, Hakuto-R Mission 1 (M1), appears to have failed in its attempt to land on the Moon's Atlas crater in the far northern hemisphere called Mare Frigoris, making it the first private mission to land on the lunar surface. The lander was carrying both commercial and government-owned payloads, including a tiny, two-wheeled transformable robot by the Japanese space agency and an Emirati-built rover. The company is not deterred and is currently working on its follow-up missions to the Moon.