Editor's note: This story was updated at 12:00 p.m. on Friday (June 6) with new information from ispace.
A private Japanese moon lander — which was carrying Europe's first lunar rover — has likely been destroyed in a "hard landing" after ground control suddenly lost contact with the spacecraft on Thursday (June 5).
Mission control lost contact with the lander, known as "Resilience," at 3:17 p.m ET, just as it was attempting a lunar touchdown, and was unable to restore it as of Friday morning.
"As of 8:00 a.m. on June 6, 2025, mission controllers have determined that it is unlikely that communication with the lander will be restored," Japanese company ispace wrote in a statement posted to X. "It has been decided to conclude the mission."
