Japanese startup, ispace, has lost communication with its spacecraft, Hakuto-R, and has assumed that its lunar mission has failed. The company could not establish communication with the unmanned lunar lander after its expected landing time, ending a mission that began with a launch from the United States over four months ago. The lander was carrying payloads from several countries, including a lunar rover from the United Arab Emirates. Ispace founder and CEO Takeshi Hakamada said that they had acquired data from the spacecraft all the way up to the planned landing and would be examining that for signs of what happened. The firm believes the Moon will support a population of 1,000 people by 2040, with 10,000 more visiting each year. It plans a second mission, tentatively scheduled for next year, involving both a lunar landing and the deployment of its own rover.
