CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.—A private Japanese moon lander went into free-fall while trying to land on the lunar surface last month, company officials said Friday, blaming a software issue and a last-minute switch in the touchdown location. The spacecraft belonging to the company ispace was originally supposed to land in a flat plain. But the target…

A Japanese company lost contact with its spacecraft moments before touchdown on the moon Wednesday, saying the mission had apparently failed. Communications ceased as the lander descended the final 33 feet (10 meters), traveling around 16 mph (25 kph). Flight controllers peered at their screens in Tokyo, expressionless, as minutes went by with no word…

NASA says it is retiring its InSight Mars lander mission, after over four years of collecting data on the red planet. InSight recently fell silent for the first time since arriving on Mars, its power levels had been dwindling for months because of dust coating its solar panels. InSight landed on Mars in 2018 and…

TOKYO—A Japanese space startup launched a spacecraft to the moon on Sunday after several delays, a step toward what would be a first for the nation and for a private company. ispace Inc.’s HAKUTO-R mission took off without incident from Cape Canaveral, Florida, after two postponements caused by inspections of its SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket….