Software glitch caused Japanese lunar lander crash on the moon.

TL;DR Summary
Japanese company ispace announced that a software glitch caused its lunar lander, HAKUTO-R M1, to crash during its landing attempt last month. The onboard computer disregarded altitude information from a laser rangefinder, leading the lander to conclude it was on the surface when it was still five kilometers above it. The lander continued to descend until it exhausted its propellant and crashed into the surface. The company's investigation revealed that a change in landing sites made after the mission's critical design review in February 2021 was a factor in the crash. ispace's second lander, M2, remains on schedule for launch in 2024.
- Software problem blamed for ispace lunar lander crash SpaceNews
- Lunar spacecraft likely fell 3 miles before crashing into moon in historic landing attempt CNN
- NASA uncovers shattered remains of Japanese lunar lander that mysteriously disappeared on April 25 Livescience.com
- Japanese Moon Lander Crashed Because of a Software Glitch The New York Times
- Why Japan's Private Lunar Lander Crashed on Moon Gizmodo
Reading Insights
Total Reads
0
Unique Readers
11
Time Saved
3 min
vs 4 min read
Condensed
87%
795 → 102 words
Want the full story? Read the original article
Read on SpaceNews