Japan’s private moon lander hard-landed on the moon on June 5, 2025. The Japanese private aerospace company ispace launched the moon lander ‘Resilience’ to the moon’s Mare Frigoris region on January 15, 2025. The lander arrived in lunar orbit on May 7 and was scheduled to touch down on Thursday (June 5) at 3:24 p.m. […]
JAXA
Posted inSpace Science
Asteroid Ryugu Sample Contaminated by Earth Bacteria Despite Strict Handling Protocols
A rare asteroid sample brought back to Earth by Japan’s Hayabusa 2 mission has been found to contain Earth bacteria, raising questions about contamination risks in the study of extraterrestrial material. Researchers discovered filament-shaped microbes resembling the Bacillus genus inside a fragment of the asteroid Ryugu, despite strict controls meant to prevent such exposure. The […]