View source for Astronomy:Hakuto-R Mission 1

{{Short description|Lunar landing mission by Japanese ispace}}
{{Infobox spaceflight
| name               = ''Hakuto-R''
| image              = Maquette de Hakuto-R IAC 2022.jpg
| image_caption      = Full-size model of Hakuto-R
| image_size         = 250px
| insignia           = Hakuto-R Mission 1 logo.png
| insignia_caption   = Hakuto-R Mission 1 patch
| insignia_alt       = <!--image alt text-->
| insignia_size      = 120px
| insignia_upright   = 
| mission_type       = [[Engineering:Technology demonstration|Technology demonstration]]
| operator           = [[Company:Ispace (Japanese company)|ispace]]
| COSPAR_ID          = 2022-168A
| SATCAT             = 54696
| website            = {{url|https://ispace-inc.com/m1}}
| spacecraft         = ''Hakuto-R M1''
| spacecraft_type    = [[Astronomy:Lunar lander|Lunar lander]]
| spacecraft_bus     = 
| manufacturer       = [[Company:Ispace (Japanese company)|ispace]]
| launch_mass        = {{cvt|1000|kg}}
| landing_mass       = 
| dry_mass           = {{cvt|340|kg}}
| power              = <!-- [[Watt|watt]]s -->
| launch_date        = 11 December 2022, 07:38 [[Physics:Coordinated Universal Time|UTC]]
| launch_rocket      = Falcon 9 [[Engineering:List of Falcon 9 first-stage boosters|B1073.5]]
| launch_site        = CCSFS, SLC-40
| launch_contractor  = [[Company:SpaceX|SpaceX]]
| last_contact       = 25 April 2023, 16:40 UTC
| interplanetary     = {{Infobox spaceflight/IP
  | type            = lander
  | object          = [[Astronomy:Moon|Moon]]
  | location        = [[Astronomy:Atlas (crater)|Atlas crater]] (attempted). {{Coord|47.581|N|44.094|E|globe:Moon|display=inline}}
}}
}}

'''Hakuto-R Mission 1''' was a failed [[Engineering:Private spaceflight|private]] Japanese uncrewed [[Astronomy:Moon landing|lunar landing]] mission built and operated by [[Company:Ispace (Japanese company)|ispace]], which was launched in December 2022 for an attempted lunar landing in April 2023. 

This first Hakuto mission was primarily a technology demonstrator and carried the [[Astronomy:Emirates Lunar Mission|Emirates Lunar Mission]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=NASA - NSSDCA - Spacecraft - Details |url=https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=2022-168A |access-date=2023-04-25 |website=nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov}}</ref> Travelling approximately {{Convert|1400000|km|mi}}, it is the furthest a privately-funded spacecraft has traveled.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Alamalhodaei |first=Aria |date=25 April 2023 |title=Watch ispace attempt to land on the moon for the first time |url=https://techcrunch.com/2023/04/25/watch-ispace-attempt-to-land-on-the-moon-for-the-first-time/ |website=TechCrunch}}</ref> Communication with the lander was lost during the final seconds of its April 2023 descent.<ref name=":1" />

== Background ==
The project began with engineer Andrew Barton in 2008, who sought to win the Google Lunar X Prize by landing a privately-funded rover on the Moon, and gathered an international group of professionals to create White Label Space.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |last=Chang |first=Kenneth |date=2023-04-25 |title=Live Updates: A Japanese Company Attempts the 1st Private Moon Landing |language=en-US |work={{wipe|The New York Times}} |url=https://www.nytimes.com/live/2023/04/25/science/ispace-moon-landing-japan |access-date=2023-04-25 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Takeshi Hakamada would found [[Company:Ispace (Japanese company)|ispace]] in 2010 as a Japanese branch of White Label Space.<ref name=":1" /> Many of the professionals abandoned the project by 2013, though a group of Japanese members sought to continue with the project, which was renamed from White Label Space to [[Astronomy:Hakuto|Hakuto]], based on the white Hare of Inaba in Japanese mythology.<ref name=":1" /><ref name="Wired 2018">[https://www.wired.com/story/the-japanese-space-bots-that-could-build-moon-valley/ The Japanese Space Bots That Could Build Moon Valley] Sarah Scoles, ''Wired'' 14 May 2018</ref> By 2017, ispace had secured $90 million in funding and though no teams in the Google Lunar X Prize ever launched before the 2018 deadline, the Hakuto team would continue.<ref name=":1" /> In April 2022, iSpace was placed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, receiving a 65% increase in its [[Finance:Share price|share price]] within two weeks.<ref name=":1" />

== Lander specifications ==
The Hakuto-R lander was measured at {{Convert|2.3|m|ft}} tall by {{Convert|2.6|m|ft}} wide, with a total weight of approximately {{Convert|1000|kg}} with its payload and fuel.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last= |date=25 April 2023 |title=Watch Japan’s ispace attempt moon landing with Hakuto-R lunar lander |url=https://www.newscientist.com/article/2370639-watch-japans-ispace-attempt-moon-landing-with-hakuto-r-lunar-lander/ |access-date=2023-04-25 |website=New Scientist |language=en-US}}</ref> To perform a stable landing, the lander was equipped with four landing legs and a main [[Engineering:Thrusters (spacecraft)|thruster]].<ref name=":2" />

== Mission ==
[[File:Aldo Ferruggia - Lacus Mortis.jpg|left|thumb|Selenochromatic Image (Si) of Lacus Somniorum area|187x187px]]Hakuto-R Mission 1 was launched on 11 December 2022 aboard a Falcon 9 rocket,<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/science/japans-ispace-readies-delayed-launch-first-commercial-moon-lander-2022-12-10/ | title=Japan's ispace launches commercial moon lander, in potential world first | newspaper=Reuters | date=13 April 2023 | last1=Swift | first1=Rocky }}</ref> separating from the rocket 47 minutes later at a distance around {{Convert|970|km|mi}} away from Earth.<ref name=":1" /> Inside the spacecraft were payloads from the Emirates Lunar Mission rover ''Rashid'' in a partnership with the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC), along with Tomy and [[Organization:JAXA|JAXA]]'s ''SORA-Q'' transformable lunar robot.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{cite web |last=Rabie |first=Passant |date=12 December 2022 |title=SpaceX Launches Moon-Bound Private Japanese Lander Following Delays |url=https://gizmodo.com/spacex-ispace-lunar-mission-hakuto-r-m1-1849884016 |access-date=15 December 2022 |work=Gizmodo}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=ispace、2022年末頃の打ち上げに向け、フライトモデル組み立ての最終工程に着手 Hakuto-Rのミッション1と2の進捗報告を実施 |url=https://ispace-inc.com/news-en/?p=2513 |access-date=2023-04-29 |website=ispace |language=en}}</ref> The lander also housed another payload, a music disc featuring the song ‘SORATO’ by the Japanese rock band Sakanaction, which was initially released in 2018 as a part of the Team Hakuto campaign for the Google Lunar X Prize.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ispace Announces Mission 1 Launch Date |url=https://ispace-inc.com/news-en/?p=3939}}</ref>

Using data collected from a previous lunar scanning mission, ispace determined that the mission would attempt a landing in the [[Astronomy:Atlas (crater)|Atlas]] crater in the [[Astronomy:Mare Frigoris|Mare Frigoris]] region of the Moon; three other backup locations were selected, like those in [[Astronomy:Lacus Somniorum|Lacus Somniorum]], [[Astronomy:Sinus Iridum|Sinus Iridum]] and [[Astronomy:Oceanus Procellarum|Oceanus Procellarum]], among others.<ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=ispace Announces Mission 1 Launch Date |url=https://ispace-inc.com/news-en/?p=3939 |access-date=2023-04-27 |website=ispace |language=en}}</ref> In an effort to conserve fuel, the mission used a slower path to approach the Moon, entering [[Astronomy:Lunar orbit|lunar orbit]] in March 2023.<ref name=":2"/>

== Landing attempt ==
After a five month travel time, the mission traveled {{Convert|1400000|km|mi}}, further than any privately-funded spacecraft, to attempt a lunar landing on 25 April 2023.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.space.com/historic-moon-private-landing-ispace-webcast | title=A private moon lander will make history when it touches down on April 25. Here's how to watch it live | website=Space.com | date=24 April 2023 }}</ref>

During the official live-stream,<ref>{{Citation |title=ispace Hakuto-R Mission 1: Landing Live Stream |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpR1UUnix3g |access-date=2023-04-27 |language=en}}</ref> among the four possible landing locations, the site in [[Astronomy:Lacus Somniorum|Lacus Somniorum]] was initially shown in the animation, saying it was based on real-time telemetry from the lander; that later turned out to be misleading, since the telemetry coming from the lander was not reliable, and the actual attempted landing site was near [[Astronomy:Atlas (crater)|Atlas crater]], as had been decided initially.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |date=May 23, 2023 |first=Emerson |last=Speyerer |title=Impact Site of the Hakuto-R Mission 1 Lunar Lander |url=http://lroc.sese.asu.edu/posts/1302 |access-date=2023-05-23 |website=lroc.sese.asu.edu}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=2022年、月の映像データはこの場所にやってくる。 民間月面探査プログラム「Hakuto-R」 Mission Control Centerを開設 |url=https://ispace-inc.com/news-en/?p=2549 |access-date=2023-04-27 |website=ispace |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=ispace Announces Mission 1 Launch Date |url=https://ispace-inc.com/news-en/?p=3939 |access-date=2023-04-27 |website=ispace |language=en}}</ref>

Communication with the lander was lost during the final moments of descent to the lunar surface at 16:40 UTC (00:40 JST) on 25 April.<ref name=":1" /> Analysis determined that the lander plummeted uncontrollably when the propellant was exhausted. This happened because the onboard computer wrongly assumed the radar altimeter was faulty, and ignoring its data, misjudged the actual altitude of the spacecraft and kept hovering 5km above the surface of the Moon.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Status Update on ispace Hakuto-R Mission 1 Lunar Lander |url=https://ispace-inc.com/news-en/?p=4655 |access-date=2023-04-26 |website=ispace |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2023-04-25 |title=Japan Spacecraft Believed to Have Crashed on Moon During Landing |language=en |work=Bloomberg.com |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-04-25/japan-s-ispace-says-it-lost-contact-with-moon-lander |access-date=2023-04-27}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=日本放送協会 |title=月面着陸 開発の民間企業が会見 “途中で燃料がつきて落下か” |url=https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20230426/k10014049671000.html |access-date=2023-04-27 |website=NHKニュース}}</ref>

The crash site was later identified by the [[Astronomy:Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter|LROC]] team.<ref name=":3" />

{{multiple image
| align             = center
| direction         = horizontal
| width             = 
| header            = Impact Site of the HAKUTO-R Mission 1 Lunar Lander<ref name=":3" />
| image1            = Ratio image of the Hakuto-R Mission-1 impact site.png
| caption1          = Ejecta field around impact site
| image2            = Hakuto-R Mission-1 impact site blink animation of before and after states 01.gif
| caption2          = Before and after image of the impact site
| image3            = Hakuto-R Mission-1 impact site blink animation of before and after states 02.gif
| caption3          = Before and after images of the impact site
| footer            = 
| total_width       = 
}}

== See also ==

* [[Astronomy:Lunar Flashlight|Lunar Flashlight]] (launched as a rideshare)

==References==
<references />

==External links==

{{Moon spacecraft}}
{{Solar System probes}}

[[Category:Landers (spacecraft)]]
[[Category:Missions to the Moon]]

{{Sourceattribution|Hakuto-R Mission 1}}