Japan startup's moon landing failure attributed to altitude miscalculation and software issues.
Japanese startup ispace has revealed that the failed Hakuto-R moon landing mission was caused by an altitude miscalculation that led to the spacecraft running out of fuel. The crash was the latest setback in Japan's space programme. Improvements would be made for the next two missions, ispace said. The company had changed the targeted landing location as late as seven months before the touchdown attempt, foregoing a flatter terrain selected in 2021 for the newer site near a cliff "to maximize the benefit of the mission," Ujiie told reporters.