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The Star
18 hours ago
- Business
- The Star
Japan space ambitions dealt another blow after ispace Inc moon landing fails
A room of more than 500 ispace employees, shareholders, sponsors and government officials abruptly grew silent during a public viewing event in the wee hours in Tokyo. -- PHOTO: EPA-EFE via The Straits Times/Asia News Network TOKYO (Bloomberg): Tokyo-based ispace Inc.'s second lunar lander attempt failed after it lost contact, a blow to Japan's burgeoning commercial space industry. Ispace's Resilience lander did not decelerate in time, and it was highly likely it made a hard landing on the moon, according to executives. The company's shares were set to fall by their daily limit in Tokyo Friday. The landing attempt, whose live stream was watched by more than 17,000 people, was heralded as a sign of a renaissance in Japan's space operations. Its failure casts a cloud on ispace's next mission, with executives saying the impact there is uncertain. Loss of contact just before the lander was expected to touch down brought founder and Chief Executive Officer Takeshi Hakamada close to tears. "But I don't think this is the time to cry,' he said at a news conference. "We need to resolve these issues and achieve results in the next Mission 3 and Mission 4.' The mission follows a failed attempt in 2023 when a programming error led to a crash of the spacecraft. If the attempt had succeeded, ispace would have been the first non-US company to park a spacecraft safely on the moon. Texas-based rivals Intuitive Machines Inc. and Firefly Aerospace Inc. have already done so, as countries race to explore the moon. Comparing ispace's results with those of its US rivals, "We are forced to acknowledge that we've fallen a step behind,' Chief Financial Officer Jumpei Nozaki said. The Japanese lander launched into space aboard one of Elon Musk-led SpaceX's Falcon 9 rockets in January. The rocket also launched a lander from Firefly that touched down on the lunar surface in March. Resilience was expected to dispatch its rover, named Tenacious, which is equipped with a high-definition camera and a shovel to collect lunar regolith and transmit data back to the lander. Ispace signed a contract in 2020 with NASA to provide the US agency with regolith collected on the moon's surface. Aboard the lander are customer payloads with varying purposes including a commemorative plate from Bandai Namco Research Institute Inc. - an affiliate of the entertainment company behind game brands like Pac Man and Gundam - and experimental equipment such as a device to extract hydrogen from water. Receipt of as much as ¥238 million ($1.7 million) of the estimated $16 million payload may now be in jeopardy, the company said. Ispace plans to send its landers more frequently to the moon starting in 2027, with an aim to transport payloads two or three times a year, according to Hakamada. The plan is based on his belief that humans could start making a living on the moon as early as the 2040s. Hakamada said in an interview before the landing attempt that Japan will lose out on opportunities to seek fresh growth if it refuses to accept failures as a course of nature. "It'd be a huge loss for our society if failures only discourage bold attempts and trials,' he said. --With assistance from Mayumi Negishi, Gareth Allan and Kana Nishizawa. -- ©2025 Bloomberg L.P.
India Today
4 days ago
- Science
- India Today
With love from Lucknow: Meet Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla headed to space
In a landmark moment for India's space ambitions, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla is set to become the first Indian astronaut to visit the International Space Station (ISS).Slated for launch on 8 June 2025 as the pilot of Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4), Shukla's journey signifies India's reentry into human spaceflight after more than four decades. He will pilot the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and dock with the ISS on a 14 day mission. advertisementEarly Life and Career Born on 10 October 1985 in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, Shubhanshu Shukla's fascination with the skies began at City Montessori School, his aspirations took flight following the 1999 Kargil War, inspiring him to pursue a career in the armed forces. At 16, he applied to the National Defence Academy (NDA) without informing his parents, a decision that set him on a path to the into the Indian Air Force (IAF) as a fighter pilot on 17 June 2006, Shukla has amassed over 2,000 hours of flight experience across various aircraft, including the Su-30MKI, MiG-21, MiG-29, Jaguar, and Hawk. Gp Capt. Shubhanshu Shukla during a medical test. (Photo: IAF) advertisementHis expertise led him to become a test pilot and a Fighter Combat Leader, roles that show his proficiency and dedication and the bravery to fly in systems never tested before, take them to the limit and make them Selection and TrainingShukla's journey to space was formalised in 2019 when he was selected for India's Gaganyaan underwent rigorous training at Russia's Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center, completing it in training at the Astronaut Training Facility in Bangalore and a Master's degree in Aerospace Engineering from IISc Bangalore equipped him for the challenges Mission 4: A Collaborative EndeavourAxiom Mission 4 is a big collaboration between Indian space agency Isro, Nasa, and private company Axiom Space. The mission will launch from NASA's Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A, the historic site of the Apollo 11 mission. Shukla will be part of a four-member crew, including veteran astronaut Peggy Whitson. During his 14-day stay aboard the ISS, Shukla will conduct five scientific experiments in partnership with NASA, focusing on areas such as space agriculture. He will also lead seven experiments designed by he is scheduled to interact with students across India through a live broadcast from the ISS, aiming to inspire the next generation of scientists and Life and LegacyadvertisementShukla is married to Dr. Kamna, a dentist, and they have a son. His family, including his parents and two elder sisters, have been pillars of support throughout his journey. As Shubhanshu Shukla prepares to embark on this historic mission, he carries with him the hopes and aspirations of 1.4 billion Indians. His journey from the classrooms of Lucknow to the vast expanse of space exemplifies the spirit of exploration and the boundless possibilities that lie ahead for India's space Watch
