*_Hakuto-R Crash Highlights Ongoing Challenges in Private Lunar Missions_* *Why in News:* Japan’s Hakuto-R mission, led by ispace, failed during its lunar descent, underscoring the technical difficulties private firms face in Moon landings. *Hakuto-R Mission Overview* * Launched in January 2025 via SpaceX Falcon 9. * Carried the Resilience lander to demonstrate private sector capability in lunar exploration. * Aimed to land at Mare Frigoris due to its flat terrain and lower risk. *Past Attempts and Recurring Challenges* * This marks ispace’s second failed lunar landing, the first being in 2023. * Similar failures occurred with missions like Chandrayaan-2 and Luna-25. * The final descent remains the most complex and error-prone phase. *NASA’s CLPS Initiative* * NASA supports private lunar efforts via the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS). * Companies like Astrobotic Technologies and Firefly Aerospace are engaged. * Reflects a global push to expand private involvement in space missions.