Ispace publishes results of its investigation into Hakuto-R1 lunar landing failure
Before and after images of Hakuto-RI, taken by Lunar Reconnaissance
Orbiter (LRO). Click for original blink image.
Ispace today published the results of its investigation into the failure of its Hakuto-R1 lunar landed to touch down on the moon successfully, stating that the cause was a software error which thought the spacecraft was closer to the ground than it was.
At the end of the planned landing sequence, it approached the lunar surface at a speed of less than 1 m/s. The operation was confirmed to have been in accordance with expectations until about 1:43 a.m., which was the scheduled landing time.
During the period of descent, an unexpected behavior occurred 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 5 kms above the lunar 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.
The company believes the software got confused when the spacecraft crossed over the rim of Atlas Crater.
The resulting crash produced the debris seen by LRO to the right.
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Before and after images of Hakuto-RI, taken by Lunar Reconnaissance
Orbiter (LRO). Click for original blink image.
Ispace today published the results of its investigation into the failure of its Hakuto-R1 lunar landed to touch down on the moon successfully, stating that the cause was a software error which thought the spacecraft was closer to the ground than it was.
At the end of the planned landing sequence, it approached the lunar surface at a speed of less than 1 m/s. The operation was confirmed to have been in accordance with expectations until about 1:43 a.m., which was the scheduled landing time.
During the period of descent, an unexpected behavior occurred 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 5 kms above the lunar 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.
The company believes the software got confused when the spacecraft crossed over the rim of Atlas Crater.
The resulting crash produced the debris seen by LRO to the right.
Readers!
Please consider supporting my work here at Behind the Black. Your support allows me the freedom and ability to analyze objectively the ongoing renaissance in space, as well as the cultural changes -- for good or ill -- that are happening across America. Fourteen years ago I wrote that SLS and Orion were a bad ideas, a waste of money, would be years behind schedule, and better replaced by commercial private enterprise. Only now does it appear that Washington might finally recognize this reality.
In 2020 when the world panicked over COVID I wrote that the panic was unnecessary, that the virus was apparently simply a variation of the flu, that masks were not simply pointless but if worn incorrectly were a health threat, that the lockdowns were a disaster and did nothing to stop the spread of COVID. Only in the past year have some of our so-called experts in the health field have begun to recognize these facts.
Your help allows me to do this kind of intelligent analysis. I take no advertising or sponsors, so my reporting isn't influenced by donations by established space or drug companies. Instead, I rely entirely on donations and subscriptions from my readers, which gives me the freedom to write what I think, unencumbered by outside influences.
You can support me either by giving a one-time contribution or a regular subscription. There are four ways of doing so:
1. Zelle: This is the only internet method that charges no fees. All you have to do is use the Zelle link at your internet bank and give my name and email address (zimmerman at nasw dot org). What you donate is what I get.
2. Patreon: Go to my website there and pick one of five monthly subscription amounts, or by making a one-time donation.
3. A Paypal Donation or subscription:
4. Donate by check, payable to Robert Zimmerman and mailed to
Behind The Black
c/o Robert Zimmerman
P.O.Box 1262
Cortaro, AZ 85652
You can also support me by buying one of my books, as noted in the boxes interspersed throughout the webpage or shown in the menu above.
“The company believes the software got confused when the spacecraft crossed over the rim of Atlas Crater.
”
The darnedest things happen during spaceflight. In this case, the software had not been prepared for the reality of the situation.
From the linked article:
This is why we learn by doing. It is no wonder that the Apollo astronauts took control of their lunar landers rather than let them land autonomously.
It is also why care must be taken when deciding to change a plan. What may seem like a trivial change could have large ramifications.
An example is the loss of Russia’s launch of Galileo 5 and Galileo 6, which used a Fregat upper stage:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fregat#August_2014_failure
Fregat had been designed for only one engine burn, in which case it did not matter the routing of the fuel line, and that is why the routing was not more carefully specified. No matter the fuel line configuration, it had always worked for missions with a single burn. However, Fregat started being used for missions with two burns, one to attain a parking orbit and another to raise the orbit. The time delay between burns meant that any Fregat that had its fuel line routed close to the helium feed lines should not be used for such a mission. Because changes in plans do not always come with top-down reviews of the entire system (they rarely do), no one realized the flaw in the system, and the mission was lost.
It looks like something similar happened with Hakuto-R1. It was designed for one landing zone but assigned to another, for which it was not designed or tested.
Starship is being designed with a certain amount of flexibility. Think of it as an automobile chassis that different bodies can be mounted upon (e.g. Chrysler’s K-car of the early 1980s). One Starship version is a “Pez” dispenser for Starlink missions, another is a tanker for refueling (retanking) missions, and yet another for regular orbital payloads. Another is for manned missions and another for manned lunar landing missions. Another for crewed Martian landing missions and another for cargo Martian landings. As with Fregat and Hakuto-R1, it would not work well to use a Starship for a mission it was not designed for.
Scott Manley has a video on the Hakuto-R1 failure:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JlUnOAiMm4 (8 minutes)