Altitude Miscalculation Caused Lunar Carrying Rashid Rover to Crash
- Publish date: Saturday، 27 May 2023 | Last update: since 5 days
- Related articles
- NASA Images Show Moon Crash Site of Lunar Carrying UAE's Rashid Rover
- Rashid Rover From the UAE Has Successfully Entered the Moon's Orbit
- RTA to Auction off Three-Digit Car License Plates on May 29
Spacecraft HAKUTO-R Mission 1 lunar lander that was carrying the UAE's Rashid Rover crashed on the moon surface due to an altitude miscalculation that caused it to run out of fuel.
Japan-based ispace revealed the results of the failure investigation on Friday, May 26th, saying that an "unexpected behaviour" took place with the lander's altitude measurement.
"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 5km above the lunar surface," ispace said.
"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."
The company attributed the incorrect altitude estimation to malfunctioning software.
The Hakuto-R Mission 1 lander attempted a soft landing on the Moon on April 26th, but made a hard landing on the lunar surface.
On Tuesday, May 23rd, NASA released images of the location on the Moon, where HAKUTO-R Mission 1 crashed last month.