Japan's ispace said it is investigating after losing contact with its Hakuto-R Mission 1 spacecraft during an attempted lunar landing.
The spacecraft, carrying the UAE's Rashid rover, was expected to land on the Moon at about 8.40pm.
A tense mission control in Tokyo waited for more than 30 minutes to secure communications with the spacecraft.
“At this moment, we have not been able to confirm successful landing on the lunar surface,” ispace chief executive Takeshi Hakamada said in a live stream.
ispace chief executive
“Our engineers and mission control centre continue to investigate the current status of the lander.
“We have not been to confirm communication with the lander. We established communication until the end of the landing, however, now we lost communication.
“We have to assume that we could not complete the landing on the lunar surface.”
The space exploration company later issued a statement saying it was still working to confirm the status of its craft.
"Ispace engineers and mission operations specialists in the mission control centre are currently working to confirm the current status of the lander," the ispace statement said.
"Further information on the status of the lander will be announced as it becomes available."
The Hakuto-R Mission 1 spacecraft attempted an intricate Moon landing sequence that included reducing speed and altitude significantly in minutes.
The Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre issued a statement on Twitter, saying that ispace is still investigating.
"Ispace has updated that they have lost communication with the Hakuto-R lander and have not been able to confirm a successful landing," the space centre said.
"Their engineers are continuing to investigate the situation and will update once they finish investigation."
A core team of 11 engineers at the space centre had been working on the Rashid rover since 2017, hoping that the UAE would become the first Arab nation to place a spacecraft on the surface of another celestial body.
Ispace was also expecting to make history by becoming the first company to achieve a private mission to the lunar surface.
Lunar landings are difficult and have a 50 per cent success rate, with only the US, the Soviet Union and China achieving soft landings on the surface.
In 2019, India and Israel had spacecraft that crash-landed on the Moon.
Lunar landings are difficult because the Moon has no atmosphere, which means engineers cannot use parachutes to land spacecraft as they do on Mars and Earth.
Instead, complex manoeuvres are required to help the spacecraft decelerate so it touches down safely.
There are also mascons, or mass concentrations, on the Moon's surface, which create gravity anomalies and can cause potential danger for a spacecraft attempting a landing.
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Sultan Al Neyadi's life on the International Space Station - in pictures
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Emirati astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi has released more images of his historic space walk from the International Space Station on social media. @Astro_Alneyadi twitter -
On Friday, Dr Al Neyadi became the Arab world's first astronaut to make space walk when he joined US astronaut Steve Bowen on ISS maintenance. @Astro_Alneyadi twitter -
Dr Al Neyadi spent more than six hours outside the space station. @Astro_Alneyadi twitter -
Photos of Emirati astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi's space walk show him completing what Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai and President of the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre, described as a 'remarkable' accomplishment. @Astro_Alneyadi twitter -
Sultan Al Neyadi, UAE Astronaut showing water during his first ‘ A Call with Space’ video chat with the public held at Dubai Opera in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National -
Nasa astronaut Frank Rubio gives UAE astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi a haircut on board the International Space Station. Photo: MBRSC -
Sultan Al Neyadi shares images of sandstorm in Sahara Desert from space -
Sultan Al Neyadi shares images of sandstorm in Sahara Desert from space -
Dr Sultan Al Neyadi shared a video showing Cairo from space. Image: Screengrab -
Sultan Al Neyadi shows breathtaking views of the crescent moon from space. -
Astronaut Koichi Wakata and Sultan Al Neyadi inside the International Space Station's Quest airlock. Nasa -
Sultan Al Neyadi, UAE Astronaut during his first ‘ A Call with Space’ video chat with the public held at Dubai Opera in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National -
Dr Al Neyadi carries out experiments at the Columbus laboratory. Photo: Sultan Al Neyadi@Twitter -
UAE astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi in the Japanese KIBO module of the ISS. Photo: MBRSC -
UAE astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi has shared his first selfies taken from inside the International Space Station. Photo: Sultan Al Neyadi Twitter -
The images were snapped in front of the cupola - an observatory on the station - that shows stunning views of the Earth. Photo: Sultan Al Neyadi Twitter -
This photo provided by NASA shows Emerati astronaut Sultan al-Neyadi during an interview at the International Space Station on Tuesday, March 7, 2023. The first Arab astronaut assigned to a long spaceflight is still adjusting to life off the planet, five days after rocketing to the International Space Station. (NASA via AP) -
Sultan Al Neyadi’s, UAE Astronaut, speaking from ISS to UAE leaders. photo: Video screen grab / Nasa -
In this image from NASA TV, the four astronauts including United Arab Emirates' Sultan al-Neyadi, third left gather, during the welcoming ceremony, on the International Space Station, Friday, March 3, 2023. A new crew from the United States, Russia and United Arab Emirates has arrived at the International Space Station. The new arrivals include United Arab Emirates' Sultan al-Neyadi, the first astronaut from the Arab world who will spend an extended time in space. Al-Neyadi is only the second person from the UAE to rocket into orbit. (NASA TV via AP)
