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
The announcement follows the likely hard landing of the Hakuto-R Mission 1 spacecraft carrying the previous Rashid rover, to the lunar surface
Engineers from ispace are working on a detailed analysis of the telemetry data acquired until the end of landing sequence to find out the root cause
The rover is currently orbiting the Moon at an altitude of about 100km at the perilune and about 2,300 km at the apolune
The iSpace lander carrying the rover executed the lunar orbit insertion manoeuvre on March 21
The rover, that lifted off on December 11, is scheduled to land after a four-month cruise phase
Upon landing, the Rashid rover will explore the characteristics of the lunar soil
The new launch date remains contingent on the weather status and other conditions
Upon landing, the Rashid rover will explore the characteristics of the lunar soil, the petrography and geology of the Moon
The Rashid rover is now ready for the final integration process with the launch vehicle