Latest news with #Moonhouse
France 24
5 days ago
- Science
- France 24
Japanese company abandons Moon landing mission after losing contact with spacecraft
Japan 's hopes of achieving its first soft touchdown on the Moon by a private company were dashed Friday when the mission was aborted after an assumed crash-landing, the startup said. Tokyo-based ispace had hoped to make history as only the third private firm -- and the first outside the United States -- to achieve a controlled arrival on the lunar surface. But "based on the currently available data... it is currently assumed that the lander likely performed a hard landing", the startup said. "It is unlikely that communication with the lander will be restored" so "it has been decided to conclude the mission", ispace said in a statement. The failure comes two years after a prior mission ended in a crash. The company's unmanned Resilience spacecraft began its daunting final descent and "successfully fired its main engine as planned to begin deceleration", ispace said Friday. Mission control confirmed that the lander's positioning was "nearly vertical" -- but contact was then lost, with the mood on a livestream from mission control turning sombre. Technical problems meant "the lander was unable to decelerate sufficiently to reach the required speed for the planned lunar landing", ispace said. High-profile payloads To date, only five nations have achieved soft lunar landings: the Soviet Union, the United States, China, India, and most recently Japan. Now, private companies are joining the race, promising cheaper and more frequent access to space. On board the Resilience lander were several high-profile payloads. They included Tenacious, a Luxembourg -built micro rover; a water electrolyser to split molecules into hydrogen and oxygen; a food production experiment; and a deep-space radiation probe. The rover also carried "Moonhouse" -- a small model home designed by Swedish artist Mikael Genberg. "I take the fact that the second attempt failed to land seriously," CEO Takeshi Hakamada told reporters. "But the most important thing is to use this result" for future missions, he said, describing a "strong will to move on, although we have to carefully analyse what happened". Last year, Houston-based Intuitive Machines became the first private enterprise to reach the Moon. Though its uncrewed lander touched down at an awkward angle, it still managed to complete tests and transmit photos. Then in March this year, Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost -- launched on the same SpaceX rocket as ispace's Resilience -- aced its lunar landing attempt. Never quit The mood ahead of Friday's attempt had been celebratory, with a watch party also held by ispace's US branch in Washington. After contact was lost, announcers on an ispace livestream signed off with the message: "Never quit the lunar quest." The mission had also aimed to collect two lunar soil samples and sell them to NASA for $5,000. Though the samples would remain on the Moon, the symbolic transaction is meant to strengthen the US stance that commercial activity -- though not sovereign claims -- should be allowed on celestial bodies. Landing on the Moon is highly challenging as spacecraft must rely on precisely controlled thruster burning to slow their descent over treacherous terrain. Intuitive Machines' second attempt at a Moon landing ended in disappointment in late March. Its spacecraft Athena, designed to touch down on a spot called the Mons Mouton plateau -- closer to the lunar south pole than any previous mission -- tipped over and was unable to recharge its solar-powered batteries.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Building the 'Moonhouse': Q&A with artist Mikael Genberg
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. A dream that Mikael Genberg has nurtured for more than a quarter century could come true today (June 5). The Swedish artist's "Moonhouse," a project he devised way back in 1999, is set to touch down on the moon this afternoon aboard Resilience, a lander operated by the Japanese company ispace. The artwork — a tiny replica of the red-and-white houses that dot the Swedish countryside — is mounted on the front bumper of Tenacious, a microrover built by ispace's European subsidiary. If Resilience touches down safely today and everything thereafter goes to plan as well, Tenacious will deploy from the lander and drop the Moonhouse onto the lunar dirt, giving the gray landscape a solitary spark of vibrant color. caught up with Genberg via email recently to discuss the Moonhouse, how he's feeling with the touchdown try just around the corner and what a successful landing would mean to him. The questions and answers are presented below in their entirety. How and when did you first get the idea to put a little Swedish house on the moon? Mikael Genberg: Working as an artist is, in many ways, about trying to describe the world, life, and human beings from different perspectives. All culture is essentially that: describing and re-describing what it means to be here. The house, as a symbol, holds in my mind a unique combination of survival and beauty. When I first imagined a typical Swedish house standing on the moon, I instantly felt the power of the image, but also its impossibility. I had no competence, no funding, no connections. Still, the thought didn't leave me. I started talking about it, first with close friends, then with others. Gradually, a sense of shared purpose, or something like that, began to form around the idea. Somehow, the concept managed to survive, and even grow, for 26 years, carried forward by its own poetry, craziness and hardship and by the incredible support of people who believed in it. That persistence of the idea itself is kind of an artwork. What does this piece mean to you? What do you hope it achieves, or how do you hope it affects people? Genberg: To me, the Moonhouse is both a shared achievement, something made possible by the efforts of many individuals, but also a profoundly personal thing. Being able to touch the moon with a small house that I painted in the kitchen of our red house from 1758 creates deeper emotions than I expected. It's like putting my finger on that distant white disc in the sky. An impossibility that comes to life. It's a small house in a vast, empty place, a symbol of belonging, curiosity, and vulnerability. I hope it invites people to reflect on our relationship to space, and to recognize the fragility and uniqueness of our own world, this Pale Blue Dot, packed with life, all related to each other. The Moonhouse doesn't claim anything except maybe to be art, but even that is of no real interest. It's a small red house standing on the moon. That's all. How do you feel now, being so close to the lunar landing? What emotions are running through you? Genberg: It's a strange mix of awe, anxiety, disbelief, and sheer, childish happiness. So many things have had to go right just to reach this point. There's excitement, of course, but also a deep sense of humility in understanding the challenges that still lie ahead. I'm trying not to get swept away by the emotions entirely, but instead to stay present in this moment. Whatever comes next. What would mission success — Tenacious deploying the Moonhouse onto the gray dirt — mean to you? What would it mean to humanity? Genberg: If it works, if the Moonhouse actually stands there on the lunar surface, I think it would be a moment of something extraordinary. Maybe more poetry than art. For me personally, it would be the culmination of imagination, persistence, and collaboration with so many wonderful people. As for what it might mean to humanity, that's really up to each person. I love that people have already responded in their own creative ways: sending us songs, children's drawings, poems. That, to me, is success, when an idea sparks new ideas in others. I hope the Moonhouse can become a small cultural marker. Something that says: we were here, and we brought not just our technology, but our dreams, our symbols of home. We come in peace. Related stories: — Japanese company ispace will attempt historic moon landing on June 5 — Little house on the (moon) prairie: Artist's 'Moonhouse' set to lift off on lunar lander — Japan's ispace unveils microrover for its 2nd moon mission What if Resilience fails during its landing attempt on June 5? Will you still regard the Moonhouse project as a success? Genberg: That's hard to say. In the moment, I'm sure I would feel deep disappointment. But with some distance, I believe I'll be able to see how the Moonhouse has already succeeded in many ways. It exists. It was built. It sparked thoughts, conversations and creativity across the world. Of course, I hope it lands safely. But I also accept that space missions are, by nature, super-risky. No matter what happens, the House will reach the moon. The only question is in what shape.
5 days ago
- Science
A private company wants to build a city on the moon. But it has to land a probe first
A private space exploration company based in Japan, ispace, wants to see people living on the moon by 2040. They have plans to eventually build a city on the lunar surface that would house a thousand people and welcome thousands more for tourist visits. But first, they need to land a probe on the Moon's surface successfully. In April 2023, their first attempt fell short of that goal after they lost communication with their first lander during the mission's final moments. On Thursday at 3:17 p.m. ET, ispace will make its second attempt at an uncrewed moon landing with its lunar lander called Resilience. After a nearly five-month journey from the Earth to the moon that began with a January 15 launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9, the lander is scheduled to touch down in an area of the moon known as the "Sea of Cold," part of the Mare Frigoris region. The company said there are three alternative landing sites should conditions change, which would postpone the landing to another date and time. The Resilience is part of ispace's Hakuto-R Mission 2 and is currently orbiting the Moon in preparation for Thursday's landing. If all goes as planned, the spacecraft will fire its main engine and slow itself down in the moon's thin gravity before touching down softly at its landing site. Powered by solar panels, the spacecraft is carrying a mix of commercial and scientific payloads, including a water electrolyzer to test the ability to generate hydrogen and oxygen from lunar water, a food production module for growing algae as a potential food source and a deep-space radiation probe. The mission is expected to last about two weeks. If ispace is going to establish a colony on the moon, it will need to identify an ample supply of ice or water, which it will convert into fuel for a future lunar fueling station. The ability to produce fuel on the moon will enable the company to transport people back and forth between the Earth and the moon. After landing, a small rover called Tenacious will deploy to explore the lunar surface, collect soil samples and transmit HD video and telemetry back to Earth. The rover is also carrying a tiny art installation: a red-painted "Moonhouse" sculpture by Swedish artist Mikael Genberg is mounted to the front of the vehicle. "Our goal is to build the cislunar economy, one in which the Moon and Earth are economically and socially connected. We view the success of the lunar landing as merely a stepping stone toward that goal. We strongly believe that this endeavor and its long-term success will contribute to making life on Earth sustainable for all humanity," ispace CEO Takeshi Hakamada said in a statement.
Telegraph
6 days ago
- Business
- Telegraph
Europe prepares to land rover on the Moon for first time
The first European Moon rover is due to land on the lunar surface on Thursday. Named Tenacious, the rover is less than 2ft long and can carry a payload of just over one pound. Built by the European arm of Japanese lunar exploration company Ispace, it will be controlled by ground staff in Luxembourg, who will be able to drive it at up to four inches per second in near real time, using a video camera mounted on its front panel. Once on the Moon, it will deliver an art project called Moonhouse, a 3in-high model of a typical red Swedish cottage, developed by Mikael Genberg, a Swedish artist. The team hopes to place the house in a location where it can be photographed with the Earth in the background. The rover is also carrying a shovel to collect lunar regolith – moon dust – which will be sold to Nasa for $5,000 (£3,685) under an agreement that will make history as the first off-planet sale of resources. Software problem doomed company's first landing It is the second attempt to land on the Moon by Ispace, after the company's first craft crashlanded on the lunar surface in 2020. An investigation later found that a software glitch had led the spacecraft to believe it was on the surface when it was still several miles from landing. Takeshi Hakamada, the founder of Ispace, said: 'Just over two years ago, Ispace became the first private company in the world to attempt a lunar landing. 'While the mission achieved significant results, we lost communication with the lander just before touchdown. 'Since that time, we have drawn on the experience, using it as motivation to move forward with resolve. We are now at the dawn of our next attempt to make history.' The rover is being carried in a lander spacecraft called Resilience which launched in January on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and entered lunar orbit on May 6. It is due to land on the Mare Frigoris region of the northern hemisphere of the near side of the Moon at 19:17 BST. The team is hoping that the area will be flat enough to allow the rover to trundle around, although its sturdy wheels should help it navigate unexpectedly rough terrain. Sophia Casanova, a senior lunar scientist at Ispace, said: 'The mission will be going to a really exciting region on the Moon. We are hoping to encounter a range of really interesting geologic features, and in particular with our Tenacious rover we will be exploring the lunar regolith, which is the soil-like material that covers the lunar surface. 'Understanding the characteristics of this material will help us not only understand the geology of the Moon but also help us understand the design of our future rovers.' She added: 'The Tenacious rover may encounter an array of features that may pose a hazard. Things like steep slopes, highly fluffy or compacted material, or small craters and boulders. However, these features represent really important characteristics for us to evaluate and our rover was designed with these operational conditions in mind.' Lander mission crucial for future technology The lander is also carrying several payloads including a water electrolyser for splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen atoms, as well as experiments looking at food production and space radiation. Kathryn Hadler, the director of the European Space Resources Innovation Centre, said: 'There are many resources of interest on the Moon, we can use the oxygen and metals present on the dust that coats the surface of the Moon, and we are also interested in the water ice that is present in the permanently shadowed reasons. 'This is important because we can use these resources to support human life, we can use it for rocket propellant, and this will allow us to support a future of sustainable space exploration. 'We need to develop the technologies to allow us to use these resources in space. It will allow us to understand how the regolith behaves when it is scooped and handled. And this is critical to develop technology for future space missions.' Ispace has previously said that its goal is to kick off the lunar economy, and it has several more missions planned, including working on two more landers.
Globe and Mail
22-05-2025
- Science
- Globe and Mail
The Moonhouse: The First Ever House on the Moon - A Swedish Red Cottage Set to Land June 5
STOCKHOLM , May 22, 2025 /CNW/ -- History is about to be made. On June 5 at 09:24 PM CET, a tiny red house — a traditional Swedish cottage — is set to become the first house ever to land on the Moon. After traveling through space for more than four months aboard the Japanese lunar lander RESILIENCE, the artwork known as The Moonhouse now enters its most critical phase: a soft landing in Mare Frigoris — the Sea of Cold. This unique fusion of art and technology began with a bold idea. In 1999, Swedish artist Mikael Genberg imagined placing a simple red house on the Moon. "Not as a scientific outpost or political symbol," says Genberg, "but as a quiet reminder of humanity, imagination, and home. A beacon of hope — and an eye turned toward Earth, the pale blue dot." Since then, the idea has passed through the hands of engineers, dreamers, and supporters who, together with Genberg, have carried it forward across decades, continents, and now deep space. Landing on the Moon remains one of the most difficult feats in spaceflight. ispace's first attempt in 2023 did not touchdown successfully, and this second mission demands flawless precision. But even with a successful landing, the mission's most delicate moment is still to come. Mounted on the front of the lunar rover TENACIOUS is the house itself. Once the lander touches down, the rover will be deployed to scout the Moon's surface for the perfect site. "The hardest part starts now. The Moonhouse must find its place on the Moon — and then make its final leap, just 8 centimeters, powered only by gravity. We'll be holding our breath until we see the images," says The Moonhouse technical lead Emil Vinterhav. "It's a delicate maneuver, done by remote control from 400,000 km away," says Antoine Bocquier, Rover Pilot and Senior Space System Engineer at ispace. "I will operate the rover to identify a location that is both stable and symbolically meaningful." Only then — when the house stands alone on the Moon — will The Moonhouse be fully realized. "This is more than a work of art. It is a 26-year journey of persistence, collaboration, and belief — a red cottage that dares to dream on the Moon, forever." — Hans Elis Johansson , Communications Director Follow landing: More information and contact: Contact: Hans Elis Johansson +46 70 5136035 Mikael Genberg info@ +46707755393 Emil Vinterhav +46705551869
