Japan’s iSpace, a public spacecraft company, has revealed that its spacecraft carrying UAE’s Rashid Rover crashed while landing on the moon on Tuesday.
According to the statement, Tokyo’s mission control lost contact with Hakuto-R Mission 1 right before landing, and engineers are currently investigating what went wrong.
The spacecraft’s propellant level fell while it was attempting to land, and its descent speed quickly increased, according to iSpace, which also noted that no data was received after the scheduled landing time.
During the landing, the spacecraft ran out of fuel, which caused its engine to die leading to its crash on the moon’s surface.
It was iSpace’s first moon mission and Rashid Rover was also UAE’s first long-term moon expedition.
Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) lauded iSpace for its efforts and stated that despite the setback, MBRSC is still proud of its accomplishments, including being the first Emirati and Arab lunar mission to enter the moon’s orbit.
As quoted by the National, Director General MBRSC Salem Al Marri said that his team has acquired several new skills, making them capable of developing more missions to land on the moon.
He also stressed that in addition to engineering this mission also involves science, operations, command & control, and everything else, which they developed locally in UAE.
An 11-member engineering team began working on Rashid Rover in 2017 in a bid to make UAE the first Arab nation to land on the moon.
