HAKUTO-R Mission 1 (ispace M1 lander)
ispace's first lunar lander, launched 2022-12-11 on a Falcon 9, reached lunar orbit and began its landing sequence toward Atlas crater on 2023-04-25 UTC (2023-04-26 JST); ispace states it mis-estimated its altitude, exhausted its propellant about 5 km above the surface and free-fell. It was to collect regolith on a landing-gear footpad for an in-place ownership transfer to NASA under a USD 5,000 contract; no collection occurred.
Objective. Collect regolith that accumulates on a landing-gear footpad at touchdown, photograph it, and transfer ownership in place to NASA under a December 2020 contract; the regolith was not to be returned to Earth.
Facts
- Kind
- Spacecraft
- Mission type
- Resource purchase demonstration
- Target
- MoonAtlas crater, 47.5 N 44.4 E (southeastern outer edge of Mare Frigoris / Lacus Somniorum region)
- Launch
- 2022-12-11
- Launch vehicle
- SpaceX Falcon 9
- Phase
- Endedispace's 2023-05-26 flight-data analysis and 2023-04-26 status update; NASA LRO imaged the impact site on 2023-04-26.
- Outcome
- FailureBasis: operator statement
- Why it is included
- Resource transaction
Outcome statement (operator statement)
After reaching the scheduled landing time, the lander continued to descend at a low speed until the propulsion system ran out of fuel. At that time, the controlled descent of the lander ceased, and it is believed to have free-fallen to the Moon's surface.
Participants
Operators, payload owners, carriers and customers are recorded separately.
| Organization | Role |
|---|---|
| ispace, inc. | Operator |
| National Aeronautics and Space Administration | Customer |
| SpaceX | Launch provider |
Resources and evidence
| Resource | Evidence |
|---|---|
| Regolith | Targeted |
Government authorizations
| Country | Holder and mission | Instrument | Granted | Linked mission |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japan | Japan Space Resources Act permit to ispace for HAKUTO-R Mission 1 (2022)Holder: ispace, inc. | Space resources authorization | 2022-11-04Granted | HAKUTO-R Mission 1 (ispace M1 lander)Flew. Outcome: failure |
Dated events
- 2025-12-05
ispace announces planned conclusion of the HAKUTO-R program
On 2025-12-05, ispace announced that its HAKUTO-R program, begun in September 2018 and covering Missions 1 and 2, was expected to conclude on 2025-12-07 upon expiration of contracts with all 22 partner companies.
Company announcement. No counterparty or government record found.
Sources (1)
the HAKUTO-R lunar exploration program launched in September 2018, will conclude upon the expiration of contracts with all 22 partner companies on Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025.
- 2020-12-03
NASA lunar regolith purchase contract to ispace (Japan), $5,000
NASA selected ispace (Japan) to collect a small amount of lunar regolith and transfer ownership in place to NASA for $5,000 (10% on award, 10% on launch, 80% on completion). The collection attempt under this contract was covered by Japanese permits for Mission 1 (lander lost 26 April 2023) and Mission 2 (lander lost 6 June 2025); no transfer has occurred as far as primary sources show.
Sources (7) and evidence gaps
NASA has selected four companies to collect space resources and transfer ownership to the agency: Lunar Outpost of Golden, Colorado; Masten Space Systems of Mojave, California; ispace Europe of Luxembourg; and ispace Japan of Tokyo.
ispace Japan proposed collection for $5,000 following arrival in 2022 of a lander to Lacus Somniorum on the Moon's northeastern near side.
Companies will receive 10% of their total proposed price upon award, will receive 10% upon launch, and the remaining 80% upon successful completion.
Subsequent to receiving such imagery and data, an "in-place" transfer of ownership of the lunar regolith to NASA will take place.
The license allows ispace to complete a contract awarded by NASA in December 2020, to acquire regolith from the lunar surface and transfer ownership to the space agency.
Although the lander did not complete a soft landing
it is currently assumed that the lander likely performed a hard landing on the lunar surface
- Current status of the contract after the Mission 2 loss (open, modified, or terminated) is not stated in any retrieved NASA or ispace source.
Open evidence gaps
- No record found of the formal close-out of the M1 regolith contract after the loss.
Record history
changes to this record's facts, newest first
| Changed | Field | Was | Now | Reason | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-11-17 | target site | Lacus Somniorum (NASA award, Dec 2020) | Atlas crater, 47.5 N 44.4 E (ispace, Nov 2022) | Source update | [2] |
Sources
11 sourcesfollowing a successful launch by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Fla., on December 11, 2022.
ispace announced its primary landing site, the Atlas Crater, located at 47.5°N, 44.4°E, on the southeastern outer edge of Mare Frigoris
it has been determined that there is a high probability that the lander eventually made a hard landing on the Moon's surface.
After reaching the scheduled landing time, the lander continued to descend at a low speed until the propulsion system ran out of fuel. At that time, the controlled descent of the lander ceased, and it is believed to have free-fallen to the Moon's surface.
While the lander estimated its own altitude to be zero, or on the lunar surface, it was later determined to be at an altitude of approximately 5 kms above the lunar surface.
The analysis reveals that the cause of the lander's failure to make a soft landing was due to the software, especially in the phase just prior to landing.
announced today that it has reviewed and completed the analysis of the flight data from its HAKUTO-R Mission 1 landing sequence on April 26, 2023.
the spacecraft started a controlled descent to the surface to land near Atlas crater.
ispace Japan proposed collection for $5,000 following arrival in 2022 of a lander to Lacus Somniorum on the Moon's northeastern near side.
During M1, ispace is expected to collect regolith that accumulates on the footpad of the landing gear during the touchdown on the surface, photograph the collected regolith and conduct an "in-place" transfer of ownership of the lunar regolith to NASA.
Achieved 8 out of 10 Success Milestones.