NASA Captures Crash Site of Japan's Lunar Lander
Images reveal the impact site of ispace's Resilience lander on the Sea of Cold, a lunar region.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida: NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has captured images of the crash site of a Japanese company’s lunar lander.
The photographs, released by NASA on Friday, depict the remnants of ispace's Resilience lander and its mini rover after they collided with Mare Frigoris, also known as the Sea of Cold, a volcanic region located in the moon's far north.
The dark smudge visible in the images indicates the area where the crash occurred, while the faint halo surrounding it was formed by lunar dirt kicked up during the impact.
This incident marks the second failure for Tokyo-based ispace within two years.
Company officials plan to hold a news conference next week to discuss the reasons behind the mission's demise.
Launched from Cape Canaveral in January, the latest mission aimed to explore the moon’s surface.
The photographs, released by NASA on Friday, depict the remnants of ispace's Resilience lander and its mini rover after they collided with Mare Frigoris, also known as the Sea of Cold, a volcanic region located in the moon's far north.
The dark smudge visible in the images indicates the area where the crash occurred, while the faint halo surrounding it was formed by lunar dirt kicked up during the impact.
This incident marks the second failure for Tokyo-based ispace within two years.
Company officials plan to hold a news conference next week to discuss the reasons behind the mission's demise.
Launched from Cape Canaveral in January, the latest mission aimed to explore the moon’s surface.
