Japan's ispace attempts 2nd lunar landing, fate unknown

TOKYO, June 6 (Xinhua) -- A private lunar lander from Japanese space startup ispace attempted a touchdown on the moon early Friday, but its fate remains unknown as the company is still trying to establish communication with the lander.

The lander was scheduled to touch down at 4:17 a.m. Friday Tokyo Time, but the livestream of the landing was later cut off. "The latest updates will be provided at a press briefing scheduled in a few hours," the host of the livestream said.

The spacecraft, launched in January from Florida, began its descent from lunar orbit at around 3:00 a.m.

The second attempt followed the company's failure in 2023, when a misjudgment in altitude led to a crash.

The lander is carrying multiple payloads, including a rover developed by ispace and a Japanese-made experimental device designed to produce hydrogen and oxygen from water. Enditem