November 22, 2022 (JST)

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)

 After separation from the rocket, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) was unable to establish communication with the CubeSat OMOTENASHI by 2:00 JST on November 22 (Tuesday), and it was determined that the lunar landing maneuver (DV2) operation required for landing on the Moon would be unable to be performed.

 While the Moon landing objective of the mission was unable to be achieved, recovery operations will continue to perform radiation measurements outside the Earth's magnetosphere, which is another mission that can be performed while the CubeSat is in flight, along with technology demonstrations other than the lunar landing.

 In addition, a response team (OMOTENASHI Operation Abnormality Response Team) led by the Director of the Space Science Program at the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS) was established today and the first meeting held. The team plan to investigate the cause, take action for the future, and compile knowledge that will contribute to the field of CubeSat development.

 We will report updates about the response status and results of the investigation.