Japanese Firm’s Rover Ends Mission On Moon, Abandons Surface Exploration

Japanese startup Dymon Co. has announced that its ultra-compact, lightweight lunar rover, which reached the Moon aboard a U.S. lander, will not proceed with its planned exploration, bringing its mission to an early end, Kyodo News reported.

The original plan was for Yaoki to remain attached to the lander for about five days to acclimate to lunar temperatures before detaching. I Photo: Intuitive Machines

The Tokyo-based firm’s 498-gram rover, Yaoki—measuring approximately 14 centimeters in length and width and 8 cm in height—remained mounted on Intuitive Machines Inc.’s Athena lander.

The lander was declared non-operational after it landed on its side, Japan time, roughly 250 meters from its intended touchdown site near the lunar south pole. With its solar panels facing away from the Sun, it was unable to recharge.

Before ceasing operation, Yaoki captured and transmitted an image of a crater and one of the lander’s legs, along with temperature data, Dymon said. The company confirmed that the rover’s wheels were functional.

The original plan was for Yaoki to remain attached to the lander for about five days to acclimate to lunar temperatures before detaching. Once separated, it would have been remotely operated from Earth for several hours to capture and transmit images.